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How the execution of a mentally ill man who saved his last meal dessert "for later" delivered Bill Clinton into the Oval Office

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The Death of Ricky Ray Rector Ricky Ray Rector grew up in Conway, Arkansas, just an hour’s drive from Bill Clinton’s own hometown of Hot Springs. From the very earliest days of his life, Ricky was considered different and strange. He had few friends, and while other children were out running around, Ricky sat under a tree playing alone with sticks. Those who saw him said he was dreamy and detached, “as if he were locked into some private daze of withdrawal.”

Iran | Man executed for Drug Charges in Boroujerd

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 14, 2023: Ali Mansour Khakzad, a man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Boroujerd Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Boroujerd Prison in Lorestan province on 13 September. His identity has been established as Ali Mansour Khakzad who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Ali Mansour Khakzad was arrested for carrying 90 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamine three years ago and sentenced to death.”

At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. At least 206 people were executed for drug-related charges in the first six months of 2023, a 126% rise compared to the same period in 2022 when 91 were executed. 40 people were executed in the same period in 2021.

The number of drug executions dramatically dropped in 2018 following a 2017 Amendment to the Anti-Narcotics Laws. Consequently, drug executions ranged between 24-30 per annum between 2018-2020. The Amendment was reversed in practice in 2021 when executions increased ten-fold to 126 in 2021 and doubled again in 2022 with 256 drug-related executions.

On 13 February 2023, IHRNGO reported a 94% rise in the number of drug-related executions in the year following the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in September 2022.  

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, September 14, 2023


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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: Borujerd, Iran
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