On the morning of Thursday, November 21, 2024, Iran’s government carried out the execution of three prisoners in Hamedan Central Prison, mere hours after the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee passed a resolution condemning Iran’s severe human rights violations. The executed individuals were identified as Amirhossein Rostami Pataghi, 23, Arsalan Habibi, and Jabbar Keyfari. All three were reportedly charged with drug-related offenses.
Amirhossein Rostami Pataghi, one of the victims, was from the village of Patagh in Sarpol-e Zahab, Kermanshah Province. He was 18 years old when arrested and spent five years on death row before his execution at the age of 23.
Wave of Executions Continues Unabated
In November over 100 executions have been documented in Iran, including the execution of three women. Disturbingly, one of the executed individuals was under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offense.
The week preceding the November 21 executions saw a sharp escalation in the use of capital punishment across multiple provinces:
- November 20: Amrollah Dehqani, 39, was executed in Shiraz, and Morteza Daneshvand in Tabriz.
- November 19: Soleiman Vaziri and Safa Hosseini were executed in Gonbad-e Kavus; Ali Fathollahi and Ali Pashayi in Khorramabad.
- November 18: Khodarahim Popalzahi, a Baluch citizen, was executed in Bandar Abbas.
- November 17: Eight prisoners were executed across various cities, including Parviz Barahouyi and Rahim Faghiri, 34, in Birjand; Faraj Sarmadi, 32, in Zanjan; Mostafa Mouladi in Khorramabad; Mohammad Bamari, 36, in Kahnuj; Shahrouz Aali Moradi in Ardabil; and Alireza Yarmohammadi, 22, in Hamedan.
- November 16: Sajad Karami was executed in Isfahan, with Mehdi Gilani and Mohammad Hossein Naderi executed in Rasht.
- November 15: Amanj Azizi was executed in Urmia.
- November 13: Among 17 executions that day, the names of 11 victims were previously reported. New names include Omid Sheikh Kanlou Milan, 22, in Salmas; Salar Shalipour Zardkhaneh and Ali Abedini in Tabriz; Iraj Ahadi, Mohsen Moradi, and Sajad Shoja in Qezelhessar Prison.
- November 9: Kianoush Keyfari was executed in Lakan Prison, Rasht.
Reports of Torture-Related Deaths
In addition to executions, Iran HRM have documented cases of detainees dying under suspicious circumstances. On November 16, Ghafar Akbari succumbed to injuries after enduring three weeks of brutal torture at a police station in Malekan, East Azerbaijan Province. Local officials, including Prosecutor Morteza Olyanasab and investigator Akbar Salmanpour, allegedly blocked his timely transfer to the hospital, exacerbating his injuries.
Iran HRM calls on the United Nations and international organizations to pressure the Iranian government to end its use of the death penalty and the practice of extracting confessions through torture.
