At Least 579 Prisoners Executed in Iran During Last Year
3-January-2015
Category: executions
Breathing in Confinement – At least 579 individuals were executed in Iran during last year.
According to the report of the Center of Statistics of “Breathing in Confinement”; 55 executions were carried out in public.
According to this report, only 188 of these executions were announced by the Official Media of Iran and the rest have been reported by human rights news agencies.
The report states that during last year 23 prisoners of conscience were also executed.
In the first case, on 5th January 2014, 15 Balooch prisoners were hanged in Chabahar prison.
Also, on 17th April, Samkoo Khorshidi was executed in Kermanshah prison on charge of supporting Kurdish parties.
Less than 2 months later, on 1st June, Gholamreza Khosravi Savadjani was hanged in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, on charge of supporting “PMOI”.
Then Ali Chebishat and Seied khaled Mousavi, 2 Ahwazi Arab prisoners were executed on June 13th in Ahvaz prison.
With the beginning of the new academic year, Mohsen Amiraslany who had been charged with “innovation in religion” was hanged in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. According to the sentence issued by the Supreme Court, which was published after his death, the judicial body considered his death sentence as an illegal verdict and the execution was described as “illegal and illicit”.
In the last case, Vahid Shahbakhsh and Mahmoud Shahbakhsh, 2 Balooch political prisoners were hanged in Zahedan prison.
Also on 24th May, Mahafarid Amir Khosravi one of the defendants of the so-called “3 billion Tomans case”, was executed in Evin prison without his attorney and family being informed.
The report indicates that at least 8 citizens of Afghanistan, one Pakistani and 1 Iraqi were among those executed during this period of time.
However, the highest number of executions, 286 cases, belongs to prisoners who had been charged with drug trafficking. 149 prisoners were hanged on charge of murder, 30 prisoners on charge of rape and 12 prisoners were executed on charge of armed robbery.
The Center of Statistics of “Breathing in Confinement” also announced the execution of 18 women in this time frame and at least 8 juveniles.
One of the women was Reihaneh Jabbari, who was executed on 25th October, despite enormous international condemnation.
Earlier, Amnesty International had urged the Iranian authorities to commute her death sentence. She was accused of murdering a man who tried to rape her.
In 2 separate cases, 4 men in Rasht city and Shiraz city also alleged with some charges that supported suspicion of being gay were executed.
On 2nd March 2014, IRIB announced the execution of 2 men who were charged with “Acts against the Sharia Law” in Rasht prison. It is said; the Islamic Republic of Iran accuses gay people with “Acts against the Sharia Law” and sentences them to execution.
On 6th August 2014 Fars province court publicised the news of public execution of 2 men who were charged with “Sodomy”. Some human rights activists believe that, as the report did not mention anything about an act of raping so the two men were sentenced to death for being gay.
It is to say that at least 1242 prisoners have been executed in Iran since the beginning of Hassan Rohani’s presidency.