Iran | Executions in Nahavand, Qazvin, Tabriz, Miandoab, Yazd, Karaj, Zanjan, Khaf

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 25, 2024: Vahid Abbasi, a Kurdish man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Nahavand Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Nahavand Prison on 22 August. His identity has been established as 33-year-old Vahid Abbasi who was arrested for murder three years ago. He was sentenced to qisas 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, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness. Crucially, while an indicative amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money.

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 Qazvin

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 25, 2024: Abbas Rashidi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Qazvin Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Qazvin (Choobindar) Central Prison on 24 August. His identity has been established as 45-year-old Abbas Rashidi who was sentenced to death for drug-related offences by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Abbas Rashidi was a father of two and a painter prior to arrest. He was arrested three years ago.”

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. In the first six months of 2024, at least 147 people were executed for the charges.

Execution in Tabriz

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 23, 2024: Mohammad Khaled Jahangiri, a Kurdish man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Tabriz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Tabriz Central Prison on 22 August. His identity has been established as Mohammad Khaled Jahangiri, a Kurdish man from the village of Balu in Urmia. He was sentenced to death for drug-related offences by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Mohammad Khaled Jahangiri was married with two children. He was arrested for drug offences five years ago.”

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

Execution in Miandoab

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 22, 2024: Mohammad Daghestani, a Kurdish man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Miandoab Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Miandoab Prison on 21st August. His identity has been established as 49-year-old Mohammad Daghestani from Haki village in Urmia. He was sentenced to death for drug-related offences by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Mohammad Daghestani was a Kurdish citizen who had two wives and was arrested for carrying 200 kilograms of narcotics around two years ago.”

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

Execution in Yazd

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 21, 2024: State media reported the execution of an unnamed man for rape and sexual assault charges at an unspecified prison in Yazd.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency and quoting Hossein Tahmasebi, the Yazd province head of judiciary, a man was executed at an unspecified prison at an unspecified date.

The man was arrested for rape and sexual assault charges around five years ago and sentenced to death.

Hossein Tahmasebi said: “The individual raped multiple girls and women after luring them as a fortune teller who claimed to be a person who writes prayers.”

In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. In Iran is one of the few countries in the world that issues the death penalty for rape. A lot of cases are also rushed without the defendants having access to a lawyer.

According to the 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 20 people were executed for rape charges in 2022 compared to 23 in 2022 and 10 in 2021.

Executions in Karaj

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 20, 2024: Mohammad Karamizadeh and Esmail Javadi were executed for murder charges in Ghezelhesar Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj on 19 August. Their identities have been established as Mohammad Karamizadeh and Esmail Javadi who were both sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

HRANA news agency which first reported news of the executions reported that Mohammad Karamizadeh was in prison for drug-related charges when he killed his wife during a conjugal visit, and Esmail Javadi was accused of killing his friend in an honour killing.

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

Executions in Tabriz

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 20, 2024: Abbas Alayi Aghbolagh and Ali Azmoun were executed for drug-related charges in Tabriz Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Tabriz Central Prison on 18 August. Their identities have been established as Abbas Alayi Aghbolagh (photo) and Ali Azmoun who were sentenced to death for drug-related offences.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Abbas Alayi Aghbolagh was from Aghbolagh village in Meshgin Shahr and was arrested around four years ago. Ali Azmoun was arrested around two years ago.”

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

Executions in Zanjan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 20, 2024: Mehdi Piri and Mazaher Ayouzi were executed for drug-related and murder charges in Zanjan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Zanjan Central Prison on 19 August. Their identities have been established as 31-year-old Mehdi Piri from Shirvan and 35-year-old Mazaher Ayouzi, a father of one.

Mehdi Piri was arrested for drug-related offences around two years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. Mazaher Ayouzi was arrested for murder charges around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) by the Criminal Court.

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

Execution in Khaf

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 20, 2024: State media reported the execution of an unnamed man for murder charges at an unspecified prison in Khaf, Khorasan Razavi province.

According IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency and quoting the Khaf public prosecutor, a man was executed on 15 August at an unspecified prison. The unnamed man was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder after being arrested around three years ago.

It is believed that the man was executed in Mashhad Central Prison or another Khorasan Razavi prison.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, August 20-25, 2024

_____________________________________________________________________

Twitter/X | Facebook | Telegram | Contact Us

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

South Carolina | Inmate who believes he’s died repeatedly can’t be executed, judge rules

SPARTANBURG — A 59-year-old man sentenced to death for killing a state trooper in Greenville County in 2000 can’t be executed because of a mental illness that’s left him incoherent and believing he’s immortal, a Circuit Court judge has ruled. John Richard Wood is the first condemned inmate in South Carolina found not competent to be executed since the state restarted capital punishment in September 2024. The seven executions since then include three men who chose to die by firing squad — the latest in November. Wood, convicted 24 years ago, was among death row inmates in line to receive a death warrant after exhausting their regular appeals.

Idaho eyes restart of death row executions as firing squad draws near

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s prison system has nearly completed execution chamber upgrades to carry out the death penalty by firing squad as the state’s lead method and will have a team of riflemen ready to go by the time a state law takes effect this summer. As part of the transition, the Idaho Department of Correction hopes to limit participation by its officers as the shooting of condemned people in prison to death is prioritized over lethal injection. Toward that effort, prisoner leadership sought to implement a push-button technology to avoid needing IDOC workers to pull the triggers.

Florida executes James Ernest Hitchcock

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man convicted of beating and choking his brother’s 13-year-old stepdaughter to death nearly 50 years ago was executed Thursday evening. James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers. The curtain to the death chamber opened promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time. Hitchcock’s entire body was covered in a sheet up to his head. He stared at the ceiling as the team warden made a call, then gave his final statement.

20 Minutes to Death: Witness to the Last Execution in France

The following document is a firsthand account of the final moments of Hamida Djandoubi, a convicted murderer executed by guillotine at Marseille’s Baumettes Prison on September 10, 1977. The record—dated September 9—was written by Monique Mabelly, a judge appointed by the state to witness the proceedings. Djandoubi’s execution would ultimately be the last carried out in France before capital punishment was abolished in 1981. At the time, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing—who had publicly voiced his "deep aversion to the death penalty" prior to his election—rejected Djandoubi’s appeal for clemency. Choosing to let "justice take its course," the President allowed the execution to proceed, just as he had in two previous cases during his term: Christian Ranucci , executed on July 28, 1976 and Jérôme Carrein , executed on June 23, 1977. Hamida Djandoubi , a Tunisian national, was sentenced to death for killing his former lover, Elisabeth Bousquet. He was execu...

China | Man sentenced to death for murder executed in Yunnan

Tian Yongming, who was initially sentenced for a series of violent crimes and then had his sentence changed to death early this year, has been executed in Yunnan province following approval from China's top court. The execution was carried out by the Intermediate People's Court in Yuxi, Yunnan, on Tuesday, with local prosecutors supervising the process. Before the execution, Tian was allowed to meet with his family members. The case dates back to September 1996, when Tian was sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape and attempted murder of his sister-in-law. After his release on July 15, 2002, he plotted revenge against the woman. On the night of Nov 13, 2002, he broke into her home armed with a knife.

Texas | James Broadnax's appeals: US Supreme Court denies 2 claims, confession pending

Despite an 11th-hour confession from another man, James Broadnax is slated to be executed by the state of Texas later this week. Broadnax, 37, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection April 30 in Huntsville. He was condemned by a Dallas County jury in 2009 for the deaths of Stephen Swan, 26, and Matthew Butler, 28, outside their Garland music studio. Broadnax and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, had set out to rob the men, but left with only $2 and a 1995 Ford, according to previous reporting from The Dallas Morning News.

Arizona | Man who murdered pastor crucifixion style requests plea deal after parents killed in plane crash

Adam Sheafe, the California man who admitted to killing a New River, Arizona, pastor in a crucifixion-style attack, has asked prosecutors to offer him a plea deal that would result in a natural life sentence rather than the death penalty he had previously sought. Advisory council attorneys representing Sheafe sent a formal plea offer to prosecutors this week, about two weeks after his father and stepmother died in a plane crash at Marana Airport on April 8, according to 12 News. Sheafe, 51, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of William Schonemann, 76, pastor of New River Bible Church, who was found dead inside his home last April.

US Department of Justice announces decision to resume federal executions

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday that it will resume the federal use of capital punishment and that it is seeking death sentences against 44 defendants. DOJ also said that it will use firing squads, electrocution, or nitrogen asphyxiation if the drug used in lethal injection is unavailable. The announcement follows the Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty report, published on April 24. The report is especially critical of the moratorium on federal executions, ordered by Attorney General Merrick Garland in July 2021, to remain until the death penalty could be conducted “fairly and humanely.” Garland was concerned about the federal lethal injection protocol, which uses only one drug, pentobarbital, and the possibility that it causes “unnecessary pain and suffering.” In response to Garland’s moratorium and concerns, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row, leaving only three prisoners.

Florida executes Chadwick Scott Willacy

STARKE, Fla. -- A Florida man who set his neighbor on fire after she returned from work to find him burglarizing her home was executed Tuesday evening. Chadwick Scott Willacy, 58, received a three-drug injection and was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1990 killing of Marlys Sather. It was Florida's fifth execution this year. The curtain to the execution chamber went up promptly at the scheduled 6 p.m. time, and the lethal injection got underway two minutes later, after Willacy made a brief statement.

Iran to execute first woman linked to mass protests after ‘forced confessions’

Bita Hemmati and three others have been sentenced to death for 'collusion' and 'propaganda.' Advocates claim the charges are baseless, citing a secretive process and state-televised interrogations. Iranian authorities are preparing to execute Bita Hemmati, the first woman sentenced to death in connection with the mass protests in Tehran in late December and January, according to the US-based non-profit the Human Rights Activists News Agency. Judge Iman Afshari, of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, sentenced Hemmati, her husband, Mohammadreza Majidi Asl, and Behrouz Zamaninezhad, and Kourosh Zamaninezhad to death on the charge of “operational action for the hostile government of the United States and hostile groups,” in addition to discretionary imprisonment period of five years on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security.”

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog