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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 Kashan, Bandarabbas, Urmia, Gorgan, Hamedan, Sanandaj

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 29, 2023: Reza Eyvazi, a man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Kashan Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Kashan Prison on 28 December. His identity has been established as 30-year-old Reza Eyvazi from Najaf Abad.

He was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

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

On 21 December, IHRNGO warned of more drug executions being carried out after an Iranian MP from Lorestan province stated that the cases of 1000-2000 drug death row inmates were at implementation stage.

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.

Execution in Bandarabbas 


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 29, 2023: Karim Aminikhah, a man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Bandarabbas Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Bandarabbas Central Prison on 28 December. His identity has been established as 65-year-old Karim Aminikhah from Boukan.

He was arrested five years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. According to his relatives, the drugs found in his car had been stashed there by someone else and did not belong to him.

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

3 Men and 1 Woman Executed for Espionage Charges in Urmia


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 29, 2023: Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari Bardiani, Rahman Parhazu and Nasim Namazi were executed for charges of “moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through collaborating with the Zionist regime to disrupt national security” in Urmia Central Prison.

Iran Human Rights Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Today’s executions are the Islamic Republic’s hard revenge on the Iranian people. The death sentences of these four individuals, like those of most prisoners with security charges, were issued by revolutionary courts based on confessions obtained under torture and without fair trials, and they have no legal validity.

According to the Judiciary’s Mizan news agency, three men and a woman were executed in Urmia Central Prison on 29 December. Their identities have been reported as Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari Bardiani, Rahman Parhazu and Nasim Namazi. They were sentenced to death for charges of “moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) through collaborating with the Zionist regime to disrupt national security.”

Mizan reported their executions to have taken place on 29 December. However, according to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Vafa, Aram, Rahman and Nasim were executed the previous night (28 December).

A fifth prisoner named Mansour Rasouli who was transferred to pre-execution solitary confinement with the other four was returned to his cell after his hanging was delayed for unknown reasons.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Mansour Rasouli has been behind bars since April 2022. Vafa, Aram, Rahman and Nasim were arrested 18 months ago and sentenced to death.”

According to Mizan, of the ten defendants in the case, four received death penalties and the other six were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

The hasty execution of the four prisoners shortly after the killing of an IRGC commander in Syria, increases suspicions of their retaliatory nature.

Man executed in Gorgan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 29, 2023: Hassan Rahbar, a man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Gorgan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Gorgan Central Prison on 28 December. His identity has been established as 36-year-old Hassan Rahbar.

He was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

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

Execution in Hamedan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 29, 2023: Ramin Faghiri, a man sentenced to death for drug-related charges, was executed in Hamedan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Hamedan Central Prison on 27 December. His identity has been established as 27-year-old Ramin Faghiri from the village of Vandarabad Kongavar.

He was arrested three years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

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

Execution in Sanandaj


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 28, 2023: Mohammadreza Mehraban was executed for murder charges in Sanandaj Central Prison.

According to Kurdpa, a man was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison on 26 December. His identity has been established as 35-year-old Mohammadreza Mehraban from Ghorveh

He was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

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: iranhr.net, Staff, December 28-29, 2023


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