On Monday, September 9, 2024, the Iranian authorities executed seven prisoners in two separate incidents, further intensifying concerns over the country’s escalating use of capital punishment to suppress dissent and create an atmosphere of fear.
Execution in Miandoab Central Prison
In the early hours of Monday, September 9, a prisoner named Fayzollah Hosseinpour was executed at Miandoab Central Prison. Hosseinpour, a father of three from the village of Cheragh-Abdal in the Shahindezh region, had been convicted of murder. He was living in the city of Boukan prior to his arrest. His execution marks another case in the continued use of capital punishment by the Iranian judiciary, which rights groups argue is being used disproportionately, particularly against vulnerable groups.
Six Executions in Zahedan Central Prison
In another case, six prisoners were executed in Zahedan Central Prison on the same day. Four of these individuals have been identified:
- Saeed Hasan-Zahi (age 30), son of Taj Mohammad, was married with three children. He was arrested in 2020 on charges related to drug offenses and later sentenced to death.
- A prisoner with the surname Roudini, a resident of Zahedan, whose full details have not yet been released.
- Farzad Senchouli (age 29), son of Gholam, was married with three children. He was arrested four years ago in Zabol on similar drug-related charges.
- Noor Mohammad Noori (Noorzehi), an Afghan national from the province of Nimroz, was married with one child. He was arrested in August 2022 at the Milak border crossing and was sentenced to death for drug-related crimes.
The charges against these individuals were primarily related to drug offenses, a category for which Iran is notorious for applying the death penalty, often in cases where due process and fair trials are questioned by international human rights organizations.
Iran remains one of the world’s top executioners, and the government has been accused of increasingly relying on executions to suppress internal dissent and maintain control over a restive population. These latest executions are seen as part of a broader effort to deter widespread protests, which have been growing in recent years as discontent over economic and political grievances mounts.
Rights groups have repeatedly called on the international community to pressure Iranian authorities to halt the use of capital punishment, particularly in cases involving drug offenses and political charges. These executions often carried out following trials that fail to meet international standards, serve as a tool of repression rather than justice.
