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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 | Executions in Shiraz, Chabahar, Ilam

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNG); November 27, 2023: Reza Rastkhiz who was on death row for drug-related charges, was executed in Shiraz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Shiraz Central Prison (Adel Abad) on 26 November. His identity has been established as 37-year-old Reza Rastkhiz.

Informed sources told IHRNGO that Reza was arrested for drug-related charges three years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

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

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.

In the first 10 months of 2023, IHRNGO recorded more than 600 executions, an unprecedented number in the last eight years. The majority of the executions were for drug-related charges which are also at their highest since 2015. On World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October 2023), IHRNGO called on UN Member States to withdraw funding of UNODC projects on drug-trafficking in Iran, and to make all collaborations and funding contingent upon an immediate halt to all drug-related executions.

Possible Child Offender Adel Damani Executed in Chabahar


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 28, 2023: Adel Damani, a Baluch man who is reported to have been 16 years old at the time of offence, was executed for murder charges in Chabahar Prison.

According to Haal Vsh, a Baluch man was executed in Chabahar Prison on 26 November. His identity has been reported as 25-year-old Adel Damani who is alleged to have committed a murder during a street altercation around nine years ago. He was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind).

While document evidence of his age have not been published, the report states he was 16 years old at the time of the alleged offence.

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

IHRNGO previously reported the execution of 17-year-old Hamidreza Azari in Sabzevar Prison on 24 November. Iran is one of the few countries in the world that still carries out the death penalty for juvenile offenders. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which the Islamic Republic is a signatory to, prohibits the issuance and implementation of the death penalty for crimes committed by an individual below 18 years of age. 

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.

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, while they represent just 2-5% of Iran’s population.

Shahram Mohammadbeigi Executed in Ilam


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 28, 2023: A man named Shahram Mohammadbeigi has been executed for murder charges in Ilam Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Ilam Central Prison on 28 November. His identity has been established as Shahram Mohammadbeigi, a 38-year-old man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

Informed sources told Iran Human Rights: “Shahram Mohammadbeigi was a cross-country runner who’d won medals. He was arrested for the murder of his friend around three years ago and sentenced to qisas.”

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

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.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, November 27-28, 2023


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Location: Iran
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