A prisoner identified as Mohammad Ali, 52, was hanged today at central prison of Tabriz, norhtwest of Iran. On the same day two other prisoners were hanged at Urmia Prison, also in northwest Iran. The two who have not been identified, were transferred to solitary confinement in preperation for their executions.
In another development on July 1, 2018, a prisoner by the name of Ibrahim Jahantigh, 26, was executed at Zahedan Central Prison. He was held in ward 4 of the prison.
On June 30, 2018, another prisoner Ahmad Zoumackzehi, was hanged in Saravan Prison, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeast Iran. After the execution he was buried in his village, Pascouh.
On June 30, 2018, a prisoner identified as Ali Arezoumand was executed in the central prison of Rasht, northern Iran.
All the victims had been found guilty of murder.
According to Amnesty International, among all the recorded executions worldwide last year, more than 51 percent were carried out in Iran.
Although second, behind China in terms of executions, Iran “carried out 84 percent of the global total number of executions.”
The number of executions in Iran last year was 507, “accounting for 60 percent of all confirmed executions in the region.” Of the 507 people executed, “501 were men and six were women. At least five juvenile offenders were executed, and 31 executions were carried out publicly.”
Amnesty International believes that hundreds of other death sentences may have been imposed in Iran but were unable to confirm figures. Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, who heads the Iran Human Rights Organization based in Norway, said in an interview that some “70 to 80 percent of executions in Iran are not reported.”
Amnesty International reported that the executions last year were carried out for murder (240); drug trafficking (205); murder and rape 4; robbery 11; “spreading corruption on earth” 2; rape (male on female rape) 16; kidnapping and murder 3; moharebeh (politically motivated) (2); and 19 e for offenses that could not be confirmed.”
Among those executed were five who committed crimes when they were under 18 years old. Sentencing a person to death for a crime committed when they were juvenile is a violation of international law.
