Iran | Executions in Isfahan, Mashhad, Kashan, Miandoab, Shiraz, Ghezel Hesar

The death sentence of a prisoner, previously convicted on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court, was carried out at dawn on Sunday, December 8, 2024, in Kashan Prison.

The prisoner, identified as Farhad Atashzadeh from a village in Bonab, East Azerbaijan province, was hanged at dawn on Sunday, December 8, 2024.

Mr. Atashzadeh was arrested approximately six years ago on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. He was buried on December 9.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or related institutions.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Executions in Isfahan, Mashhad

December 12, the death sentences of three prisoners, previously convicted on charges related to drug offenses and murder, were carried out in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan and Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

According to HRANA, quoting the Iranian Human Rights Organization, on Thursday, December 12, 2024, one prisoner was executed in Dastgerd Prison, Isfahan.

According to the Iranian Human Rights Organization, Majid Esmaeili, 30 years old and a resident of Isfahan, was executed in Isfahan Prison. Based on this report, Mr. Esmaeili was arrested three years ago on charges of murder during a street altercation. He was subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

According to Haal Vsh, two prisoners were executed yesterday in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad.

The prisoners were identified as Mohammad Shah Achakzahi, 22, and Rahim Achakzehi, 24, both Afghan nationals residing in Mashhad.

The report states that the two individuals were arrested in 2022 on drug-related charges in Mashhad and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of the city.

At the time of this report’s publication, prison authorities and responsible institutions had not officially announced the executions.

According to latest HRANA’s annual report over between October 10, 2023, and October 8, 2024, at least 811 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, rising to 23.06% compared to the same period last year. Of these executions, four were carried out in public. Many of the defendants were denied a fair trial.

Executions in Miandoab

December 12, two prisoners previously sentenced to death on murder charges were executed in Miandoab Prison.

The identities of the prisoners, confirmed by HRANA, are Sajjad Azizi and Ebrahim Valizadeh, both residents of a village in Miandoab.

Based on information received by HRANA, the two individuals were involved in a fatal altercation and were subsequently convicted of murder by the Criminal Court of Miandoab.

As of the time of this report, the executions have not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions.

Execution in Shiraz

December 12, the death sentence of a prisoner previously convicted of murder was carried out in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz.

The identity of the prisoner, previously arrested on charges of murder and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court, has been confirmed by HRANA as Gholam Roosta.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant institutions. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

According to data compiled by HRANA, Adelabad Prison carried out 49 executions in 2023, ranking five among prisons across Iran. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

At Least Nine Executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison

At dawn on December 11, 2024, the death sentences of at least nine prisoners were carried out in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj. Five of the individuals had been convicted of murder, while four were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists in Iran, has confirmed the identities of five of the executed prisoners: Ahmad Jahan Khani, Nasser Tokhchi, Iman Moghadam, Rahman Sarlak, and Abdullah Tajik.

According to HRANA, Jahan Khani and four others had been convicted of murder. Tokhchi, Moghadam, Sarlak, and Tajik were sentenced to death for drug-related offenses. Abdullah Tajik was identified as an Afghan national.

On December 9, HRANA reported that the prisoners had been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

At the time of this report, neither prison authorities nor relevant officials have officially announced or confirmed the executions.

According to data gathered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj witnessed the highest number of executions in 2023, with Zahedan Prison following closely behind. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

Source: hrana.org, Staff, December 8-13, 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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