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Activists Call on President Biden to End the Federal Death Penalty Before Leaving Office

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A conversation with Death Penalty Action Co-founder and Executive Director Abe Bonowitz. Now that Joe Biden is a lame duck president, activists are holding him accountable to make good on his promise to end the federal death penalty during his remaining six months as president. Biden’s election campaign in 2020 had pledged to end the federal death penalty and incentivize the remaining 27 states that still allow executions to do the same. While he made history as the first president in the United States to openly oppose the death penalty, there has been no movement to actually end federal executions during his nearly four years in office.

Iran | Executions in Shiraz, Qom

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); June 5, 2024: Mohammad Saeed Zohrabi, Hassan Nematollahi and Mahmoud Ghaedi were executed for drug and murder charges in Shiraz Central Prison. Three other men’s executions were postponed.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed in Shiraz Central Prison on 1st June. Their identities have been established as Mohammad Saeed Zohrabi, Hassan Nematollahi and 30-year-old Mahmoud Ghaedi. Mohammad Saeed and Hassan were on death row for drug-related offences and Mahmoud was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Mohammad Saeed Zohrabi and Hassan Nematollahi were co-defendants who were arrested for carrying 80 kilograms of narcotics two years ago. Mahmoud Ghaedi was arrested for murder three years ago.”

Iran Human Rights previously reported their transfer to the pre-execution cells along with three other men including child offender Aref Rasouli and Morteza Shirmohammadi. Their executions were postponed for unknown reasons.

At the time of writing, their executions have 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.”

Two executions in Qom


Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); May 31, 2024: Alireza Arezoumandi and Samir Saeedirad were executed for murder and drug charges in Qom Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Qom Central Prison on 26 May. Their identities have been established as 23-year-old Alireza Arezoumandi and 35-year-old Samir Saeedirad (Hamid).

Alireza Arezoumandi was from the village of Arezoumand in Markazi province and was arrested for murder charges around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind). Samir Saeedirad from Arak, was arrested for drug-related offences five years ago.

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

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, June 5, May 31, 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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