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U.S. | I'm a Death Row Pastor. They're Just Ordinary Folks

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In the early 1970s I was a North Carolinian, white boy from the South attending Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and working in East Harlem as part of a program. In my senior year, I visited men at the Bronx House of Detention. I had never been in a prison or jail, but people in East Harlem were dealing with these places and the police all the time. This experience truly turned my life around.

Iran | Man Executed for Murder in Khorramabad, Two Executed for Drug Charges in Shiraz

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 16, 2022: Misagh Yavari was executed for murder in Khorramabad Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison on August 15. His identity has been established as Misagh Yavari, who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Misagh Yavari was arrested four years ago and had sought the forgiveness of the victim’s family several times in that period. But the family weren’t willing to even accept diya, they wanted the sentence to be carried out.”

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to data gathered by Iran Human Rights, at least 183 people were executed on murder charges in 2021. Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

At least 251 including 6 women and 67 Baluch minorities were executed in the first six months of 2022. This is double the number of executions in the same period in 2021 when 117 people were executed.

Vahid Rahmani and Mostafa Rasoulzadeh Executed for Drug Charges in Shiraz


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 16, 2022: Vahid Rahmani and Mostafa Rasoulzadeh, two men sentenced to death for drug-related charges, were executed in Shiraz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Shiraz Central Prison on August 14. Their identities have been established as 29-year-old Vahid Rahmani and 37-year-old Mostafa Rasoulzadeh who were sentenced to death for drug-related offences by the Revolutionary Court.

Speaking to Iran Human Rights, an informed source said: “Vahid Rahmani repaired cars for a living and was arrested three years ago. Mostafa Rasoulzadeh was a father and arrested on charges of carrying 90 kilograms of methamphetamine and heroine.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to reports compiled by Iran Human Rights, at least 126 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2021, a fivefold increase compared to drug executions in the previous three years. This trend has continued into 2022, with 91 executions recorded in the first six months of 2022, double the number for the same period in 2021 when 40 people were executed.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, August 16, 2022





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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
Location: Iran
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