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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Iran | Executions in Urmia, Hamedan, Rasht, Isfahan

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 18, 2024: Afshin Bagh Shirin, a man on death row for drug-related charges, was executed in Urmia Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Urmia Central Prison on 13 April. His identity has been established as 37-year-old Afshin Bagh Shirin who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Afshin Bagh Shirin was arrested for drug-related charges six years ago. He was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution on 11 April.”

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 since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020.

On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.

Man executed in Hamedan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 16, 2024: Arsalan Hashemi, a man on death row for drug-related charges, was executed in Hamedan Central Prison.

According to HRANA news agency, a man was executed in Hamedan Central Prison on 14 April. His identity has been reported as 31-year-old Arsalan Hashemi who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Hengaw quoted an informed source in a separate report: “Arsalan Hashemi was from Kermanshah and arrested four years ago.”

Execution in Rasht


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 15 2024: Nasir Jabari, a man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution in Rasht Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a death row prisoner was transferred to solitary confinement in Rasht Central Prison on 15 April. His identity has been established as 40-year-old Nasir Jabari from Sari who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Nasir Jabari was arrested for the murder of his friend during a financial dispute around three years ago. He will be executed in the next two days if he cannot obtain an extension from the plaintiffs in the case.”

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.

In 2023, at least 282 people including two juvenile offenders and 15 women, were executed for murder charges, the second highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 20% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2023, Iran Human Rights also recorded 857 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.

Execution in Isfahan


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 14, 2024: Abuzar Salem, an Afghan national on death row for murder, was executed in Isfahan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, an Afghan man was executed in Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd) on 13 April. His identity has been established Abuzar Salem, a 30-year-old man from Pol Khomri in Afghanistan.

Abuzar was arrested for murder around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

It is important to note that Afghan nationals constitute the largest group of non-Iranian executions and death row cases in Iranian prisons. The number of their executions have been steadily rising since the Taliban takeover in 2021. At least five Afghan nationals were executed in 2021 which more than tripled in 2022, with 16 Afghan nationals including a juvenile offender and a woman executed. In 2023, at least 25 Afghans were executed, a 56% rise compared to the previous year. Abuzar Salem is the sixth Afghan national executed in 2024.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, April 14-18, 2024

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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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