Public Execution Sentence Upheld Without Accountability for Official Supporters
2-August-2025
Category: Prisoners
1 August 2025
News Category: Prisoners –
Breathing in Confinement – The Supreme Court has upheld the public execution sentence of Mohammad Ghaffari, convicted of major and large-scale disruption of the national economic system.
According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the Supreme Court confirmed the public execution sentence of Mohammad Ghaffari, CEO and owner of the “Rezaayat Khodro Taravat Novin” holding company, on charges of major disruption to the country’s economic system.
In its final ruling, Branch 1 of the Supreme Court rejected Ghaffari’s appeal and confirmed the lower court’s sentence of public hanging for his involvement in extensive public deposit-taking under the guise of mudarabah contracts, organised fraud, deliberate disruption of the national economy with awareness of its impact against the Islamic Republic, two years’ imprisonment for economic crimes, one year for illegal possession of a firearm, and the confiscation of seized assets in favour of the state.
The case, which involves 28,000 complainants, was initially heard by the Special Economic Crimes Court in Qazvin Province, resulting in the original verdict. Despite the defence lawyers’ objections, the Supreme Court ruled that the submitted arguments lacked sufficient legal grounds to overturn the sentence.
Mohammad Ghaffari began his business activities in the early 2010s with the backing of several retired military personnel—among them former IRGC officers—and support from certain local officials and members of parliament. According to local sources, about 70% of Takestan’s population had invested in companies affiliated with him, including “Khodropi.”
In 2020, at the height of rumours concerning potential fraud, then-Takestan Prosecutor Hossein Rajabi told Mizan News Agency that the company’s operations were under review and urged the public to ignore the rumours. This statement prompted another wave of public investment.
Despite the involvement of several local officials in supporting Ghaffari’s business activities and facilitating public investment, no mention of their role or accountability has appeared in judicial proceedings or rulings.
The confirmation of this sentence comes despite the fact that public execution is widely condemned by human rights norms and international instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. Public execution has repeatedly been denounced by UN human rights bodies and special rapporteurs as a form of psychological torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.