Iran Human Rights (IHR); December 19, 2020: A prisoner sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed at Boroujerd Central Prison.
According to Iran Human Rights, a male prisoner was executed at Boroujerd Central Prison on the morning of Thursday, December 18. His identity has been established as Rasoul Ferdows, a 34 year-old Maragheb native, who was on death row for murder.
Informed sources told IHR that Rasoul Ferdows had been arrested and held behind bars since 2016.
At the time of publication, the execution of this prisoner has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report, at least 225 of the 280 of those executed in 2019 were charged with "premeditated murder."
As there are no legal distinctions made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary in Iran, those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.
Inmate executed in Qom
Iran Human Rights (IHR); December 19, 2020: A prisoner sentenced to death for “rape and kidnapping” has been executed at Qom Central Prison.
According to Iran Human Rights, a male prisoner was executed in the early hours of Thursday morning, December 18. The prisoner, who has been identified as Seyed Shahab Javid, had been sentenced to death on “rape and kidnapping” charges.
An informed source told IHR: “Shahab Javid was arrested around 10 years ago. He had always denied the charges against him and wrote to the judiciary many times over the years denying his role in the case, but the sentence was still upheld. In 2018, his victim’s family had said that they consented for him not to be executed, that year, he went to the gallows, but was not executed and returned to his cell. Another time in 2018, Shahab was transferred and kept in solitary confinement in preparation for his execution for six days, but again, his sentence was not carried out until Thursday.”
Shahab Javid was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution along with another prisoner, Yousef Akrampour, on death row for murder in a separate case, on Tuesday December 16. On Thursday morning, Yousef Akrampour was returned to his cell after obtaining consent or buying more time from his victim’s family but Shahab Javid’s sentence was carried out.
At the time of writing, the execution of Shahab Javid has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
In cases involving rape, the likelihood of defendants being tortured to force a confession and issuing the death sentence based on the false confession, is very high.
Iran is one of the few remaining countries to issue the death penalty for rape.
Two inmates executed in Zahedan
Iran Human Rights (IHR); December 19, 2020: Two prisoners sentenced to death on “drug-related” charges, have been executed at Zahedan Central Prison.
According to Iran Human Rights, two prisoners were executed at Zahedan Central Prison on the morning of Saturday, December 19. The two prisoners, identified as Behnam Rigi and Shoaib Rigi, had been on death row for “drug-related” charges.
An informed source told IHR: “They had been detained for about four years and their case involved 50 kilograms of opium and smuggling arms was also added to their case. This is while Behnam and Shoaib were legally carrying their arms as they were members of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps).
Yesterday, in an interview with Emtedad, Iranian human rights lawyer, Mostafa Nilli said that at least five death row inmates in Zahedan Prison had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions. So far, Iran Human Rights has been unable to corroborate any other prisoner’s execution or transfer to solitary confinement in preparation for their execution.
At the time of writing, the executions of Behnam and Shoaib Rigi have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
There has been a dramatic drop in drug-related executions since a new article was added to the Anti-Drugs Law around three years ago. The amendment, which was passed into law in 2017, specifically restricts the death penalty and provides a degree of reduction in some drug-related cases.
According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report on the death penalty in Iran, at least 30 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2019.
, Staff, December 19, 2020
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
