Iran | Executions in Ahvaz, Tabriz, Zanjan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 6, 2025: Zoheir Shamsi, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Ahvaz Sepidar Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Ahvaz Sepidar Prison on 5 April 2025. His identity has been established as 32-year-old Zoheir Shamsi from Dezful. He was a tiler prior to arrest and was father to a five-year-old girl.

Zoheir was arrested for the murder of his male (maternal) cousin four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind).

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.

According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 419 people including a juvenile offender and 19 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 12% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2024, Iran Human Rights also recorded 649 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.

Execution in Tabriz

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 5, 2025: Mohsen Hedayat, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Tabriz Central Prison. With Morteza Saadatpour’s previously reported hanging, the number of executions at the prison that day has risen to two.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Tabriz Central Prison on 29 March 2025. His identity has been established as Mohsen Hedayat who was arrested four and a half years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

IHRNGO previously reported the execution of Morteza Saadatpour, bringing the number of people hanged at the prison that day to two.

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

Execution in Zanjan

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); April 5, 2025: Hossein Molazadeh, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Zanjan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Zanjan Central Prison on 5 April 2025. His identity has been established as 29-year-old Hossein Molazadeh, a car mechanic from Zanjan.

He was arrested for drug-related offences around three years ago and sentenced to death 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 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.

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.”

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, April 5-6, 2025

"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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