Iran | Executions in Ardabil, Khorramabad, Birjand, Zanjan, Isfahan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 19, 2024: Shahrouz Alimorad, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Ardabil Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Ardabil (Darya) Central Prison on 17 November. His identity has been established as 46-year-old Shahrouz Alimorad, a father of two.

He was arrested three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

Shahrouz was transferred to Ardabil Prison from Parsabad Prison.

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 Khorramabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 19, 2024: Mostafa Moladi, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison on 17 November. His identity has been established as 37-year-old Mostafa Moladi from Khorramabad.

He was arrested five years ago and 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.

Three executed in Birjand

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 18, 2024: Three men including a Baluch and Kurdish minorities, were executed for drug-related offences in Birjand Central Prison without last family visits.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed in Birjand Central Prison on 17 November. Two of the men have been identified as Parviz Barahouyi, a Baluch man from Zahedan and Rahim Faghiri, a Kurdish father of three from the Shapiran Salman region.

They were sentenced to death for drug-related offences by the Revolutionary Court in separate cases.

Informed sources told IHRNGO that the three men were executed without last visits with their families.

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

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.”

Execution in Zanjan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 18, 2024: Faraj Sarmadi, a man on death row for rape charges, was executed in Zanjan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Zanjan Central Prison on 17 November. His identity has been established as 32-year-old Faraj Sarmadi who was arrested 29 months ago and sentenced to death for rape charges by the Criminal Court.

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

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.

Execution in Isfahan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 17, 2024: Sajad Karami, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Isfahan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 16 November. His identity has been established as 33-year-old Sajad Karami from Lanjan.

He was arrested four years ago and 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.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, November 17-19, 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

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