Iran | Executions in Birjand, Karaj, Qazvin, Kerman

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 27, 2023: Four more men are reported to have been executed for drug-related charges in Birjand Central Prison on Thursday, increasing the number of executions that day at the prison to five people.

According to Hal Vash, four men including a Baluch minority were executed in Birjand Central Prison on 26 October. Their identities have been reported as 55-year-old Mohammad Nabi Shahuzehi (Baluch), Mohammad Mirshah, Reza Shahraki and Omid Javini. All four men were sentenced to death for drug-related charges.

Mohammad Nabi Shahuzehi was Baluch and from Dargian village in Zahedan. He was the maternal uncle of Khodanour Lajei, a protester killed in Zahedan’s Bloody Friday on 30 September 2022. He was arrested for drug-related charges three years ago and sentenced to death.

Another Baluch man, Abdolbasir Mohammadani, was executed at the prison on the same day (see below). He had been arrested for drug-related charges four years ago.

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

Ethnic minorities, the Baluch in particular, are grossly overrepresented in execution numbers in Iran. In 2022, at least 174 Baluch minorities including 3 women, were executed in 22 prisons across Iran, making up 30% of overall executions. This is while they represent just 2-6% of Iran’s population. Furthermore, at least 274 Baluch people have been executed for drug-related charges since 2021, 40% of all drug executions in that time period.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. At least 305 people were executed for drug-related charges between 1 January-10 October 2023, a 69% increase compared to the same period in 2022, and the number of drug-related executions in 2023 were close to 20 times higher than 2020.

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 September 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.

Man executed in Birjand

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 26, 2023: Abdolbasir Mohammadani, a Baluch man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Birjand Central Prison.

According to Hal Vash, at least one Baluch man was executed in Bijand Central Prison on 26 October. His identity has been reported as 30-year-old Abdolbasir Mohammadani (Rend) who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges.

An informed source said: “Abdolbasir was arrested for drug-related charges four years ago and sentenced to death by the Birjand Revolutionary Court around two years ago. He was transferred to solitary confinement a day prior to his execution.”

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

Executions in Karaj

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 26, 2023: State media have reported the execution of two unidentified men for murder in Ghezel Hesar Prison.

According to Hamshahri Online, two men were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on 25 October. The unidentified men were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

One of the men was accused of killing two women after a financial dispute on 19 October 2018. The second man was also accused of killing a woman in the summer of 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, as the plaintiffs, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

Man executed in Qazvin

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 25, 2023: Jalil Seyed Rezaei, a man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Qazvin Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Qazvin Central Prison on 25 October. His identity has been established as 40-year-old Jalil Seyed Rezaei who was sentenced to qisas for murder.

Informed sources said: “Jalil Seyed Rezaei was a father of one and had been arrested three years ago. He was a car salesman prior to his arrest.”

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

Man executed in Kerman

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 25, 2023: Hayatollah Eiduzehi, a Baluch man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Kerman Central Prison.

According to Hal Vash, a Baluch man was executed in Kerman Central Prison on 25 October. His identity has been reported as 30-year-old Hayatollah Eiduzehi from Zahedan and he was sentence to death for drug-related charges.

Informed sources said: “Hayatollah was arrested for drug-related charges in Kerman five years ago but no drugs had been found. He denied the charges in court but the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death. He had a last visit with his family the day prior.”

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

Source: iranhr.net, Staff, October 25-26-27, 2023

_____________________________________________________________________

Twitter/X | Facebook | Telegram | Contact Us

Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog