Iranian authorities have carried out a series of executions in recent days, intensifying concerns over the use of capital punishment in the country. These executions reflect a worrying trend of increased death sentences for a range of crimes, including drug-related offenses and murder.
Executions in Shiraz, Jiroft, and Qazvin
On Monday, September 23, 2024, two prisoners were executed in separate prisons. Fardin Ahmadi, a resident of Mamasani, Fars Province, was hanged in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz for a murder conviction. That same day, Yaser Balandeh, convicted of murder, was executed in Jiroft Prison. Both men had been sentenced to death following trials that have raised questions over the fairness of their legal proceedings.
In addition, two inmates in Qazvin Central Prison were executed on the morning of September 23. Saeed Alimardani, 45, from Tabriz, and Mohammad Ghasaban, 40, from Qazvin, were sentenced to death for drug-related offenses. Their cases, like many others involving capital punishment, have drawn attention from rights activists who argue that Iran’s judicial process often falls short of international legal standards.
Execution of a Child Offender
Perhaps the most concerning case of these executions is the implementation of the death penalty for a juvenile offender in Shiraz Central Prison on September 15, 2024. This prisoner, identified as Mehdi Jahanpour, was 16 years old at the time of committing the crime.The execution of minors is a clear violation of international human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory. The juvenile offender was executed alongside two other inmates, Abdoljalil Ehsani and Yahya Zargari, both of whom were convicted of drug-related offenses.
More Executions Across Iran
Other executions took place in prisons across the country. In Langerud, Ali Afrouz, 31, and Amirhossein Boroumand, 34, were executed in Lahijan Prison on September 24, 2024, after being convicted of murder. Boroumand, who consistently maintained his innocence throughout his trial, had claimed that he did not commit the crime, but his defense was disregarded by the court.
In Hamedan Central Prison, Malekhossein Tarkashvand was hanged on September 23, 2024, after being convicted of drug-related charges. Tarkashvand, who was married and had a young daughter, had been sentenced to death under the country’s harsh drug laws.
Other executions occurred in prisons in Tabriz, Karaj, Yezd, Gorgan, and Bandar Abbas, where prisoners convicted of drug offenses and murder were put to death. Among them was Hamidreza Hassanzehi, a 60-year-old father of eight from Zahedan, who was executed in Bandar Abbas on September 24, 2024, after being convicted of drug-related offenses.
The increasing number of executions in Iran is part of a broader pattern of repression, particularly targeting marginalized groups such as ethnic minorities and those involved in drug-related crimes. This surge in executions has led to widespread condemnation from human rights groups both within Iran and internationally, who are calling for an immediate halt to the use of capital punishment.
As Iran continues to carry out executions at an alarming rate, the international community faces mounting pressure to take action and demand accountability from the Iranian government for its human rights violations. The families of those executed, many of whom were denied a fair trial, continue to suffer in silence as Iran’s death penalty machine shows no signs of slowing down.
