Iran | Executions in Birjand, Fars province, Urmia

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 24, 2024: Davoud Ghalijayi, a Baluch man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Birjand Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a ‌Baluch man was executed in Birjand Central Prison on 24 December. His identity has been established as Davoud Ghalijayi, a 28-year-old father of one from Zabol.

He was arrested five years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. He was denied the right to say goodbye to his family.

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.

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 Fars province

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 24, 2024: State media reported the execution of an unnamed man for the murder of two rangers at an unspecified prison in Fars province.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency, an unnamed man was executed at an unspecified prison in Fars province. The news was reported on 24 December but the exact date was not specified.

Sadrollah Rajai Nasab, the Fars province Chief Justice is quoted saying: “The convicted individual had killed two rangers while illegally hunting in the Dareh Bagh protected area of Banavat country on 27 May 2022.”

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 Urmia

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2024: Loghman Ahmadi Aghdam (Shengeh), a Kurdish man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Urmia Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a Kurdish man was executed in Urmia (Darya) Central Prison on 23 December. His identity has been established 45-year-old Loghman Ahmadi Aghdam (known as Loghman Shengeh) from Naghdeh who was arrested six 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.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, December 23-24, 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."

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