Iran | Executions in Zahedan, Isfahan, Sari

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 22, 2024: Soltan Jahantigh, a Baluch man on death row for murder, was executed in Zahedan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a Baluch man was executed in Zahedan Central Prison on 21 December. His identity has been established as Soltan Jahantigh who was sentenced to qisas(retribution-in-kind) for murder.

According to Haal Vsh which first reported news of his execution, Soltan was a father of six and arrested with two of his relatives five years ago. They all received qisas sentences.

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 Isfahan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 22, 2024: Arman Samadi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Isfahan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Isfahan Central Prison on 21 December. His identity has been established 30-year-old Arman Samadi who was arrested around four 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 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.”

Four, including woman, executed in Sari

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 22, 2024: Efat Hamedi, Yousef Satari, Jamal Asgarabadi and Mouchehr Hedayati were executed for murder and drug-related charges in Sari Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men and a woman were executed in Sari Central Prison on 17 December. The woman has been identified as 35-year-old Efat Hamedi, a mother of a 9-year-old son who was on depression medication prior to her arrest for the murder of her husband four years ago. She was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. One of the men who was also on death row for murder, has been identified as 38-year-old Yousef Satari from Sari who was arrested for the murder of his friend over finances three years ago.

According to informed sources, the victim’s family in his case had demanded five billion tomans (approximately €65k) which Yousef’s family could not afford.

The other two men were sentenced to death for drug-related offences and have been identified as 45-year-old Jamal Asgarabadi from Sari and 47-year-old Manouchehr Hedayati from Babol. Jamal was arrested four years ago and Manouchehr three years.

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

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, December 22, 2024

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but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

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