Juvenile Offender Executed in Miandoab

On May 18, 2024, 20-year-old Ramin Sa’adat was executed at Miandoab Prison for a murder committed when he was 16 years and five months old, reports Kurdpa.

Sa’adat was arrested after a fatal altercation. He maintained throughout his trial that he had not delivered the deadly blows.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

Turkish National Hatem Ozdemir Receives Death Sentence in Retrial

The Revolutionary Court in Urmia has once again sentenced Turkish national Hatem Ozdemir to death for “enmity against God (Moharebeh)” after his initial death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court.

The verdict was delivered by Branch 3 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court and communicated to Ozdemir on May 19, 2024, who is currently detained in Urmia Prison.

Ozdemir was arrested by security forces in early summer 2019 in Maku City. After two months of interrogation in a detention center, he was transferred to Urmia Prison. He was briefly moved to another detention center on September 19, 2019, before being returned to Urmia Prison.

Originally in March 2022, the Revolutionary Court in Khoy, under Judge Najafzadeh, convicted Ozdemir of “armed rebellion (Baghi).” However, this sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court, leading to a retrial in a different branch.

Four Prisoners Executed at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz

On May 19, 2023, four prisoners were executed at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz for drug-related offenses and murder in unrelated cases.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, the executed individuals included Mojtaba Jooyandeh, approximately 40 years old, Mostafa Aghayi, 35 years old, and Nader Ghorbani, 28 years old. The fourth individual, an unidentified Afghan national, was also executed.

Approximately three to four years ago, Jooyandeh and Aghayi received death sentences for murder, whereas Ghorbani and the Afghan national were sentenced for drug offenses. Before the execution, the prisoners had been transferred from Pirbanoo Prison to Adelabad.

As of this report, no official sources or domestic media within the country have reported on these executions.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

Three Inmates Executed for Drug Crimes in Salmas Prison

On May 18, 2024, three inmates convicted of drug-related offenses were executed at Salmas Prison in West Azerbaijan province. HRANA identified one of the executed as 47-year-old Asghar Hajizadeh, a father of three.

According to reports received by HRANA, Hajizadeh and the two other inmates, all from a village in Salmas County, faced separate trials and received death sentences for drug offenses.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

 

Five Inmates Executed for Drug-Related Crimes in Urmia Prison

On May 18, 2024, five prisoners, including a woman, were executed at Urmia Prison in West Azerbaijan province for drug offenses.

HRANA reports the individuals executed are Parvin Mousavi, the female inmate, alongside Ramin Lavandpour, Parviz Ghasemi, Yousef Saeedi, and Mansour Naseri. Each had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug crimes.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

The reports from the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists for the year 2023 reveal a concerning prevalence of executions for drug offenses in Iran, constituting 56.4% of the total executions. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s report.

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Imminent Execution of Iranian Jewish Youth, Arvin Ghahremani

20-year-old Arvin Ghahremani, an Iranian Jew, is facing imminent execution following his conviction for killing a Muslim during a quarrel. As a member of a religious minority, the discriminatory laws make it difficult to spare his life.

Reports obtained by HRANA from Ghahremani’s close associates reveal that two years ago, Ghahremani was arrested and quickly sentenced to death for a fight that led to the death of Amri Shokri. Efforts by Ghahremani and the Kermanshah Jewish Committee to secure the victim’s family’s forgiveness through payment of blood money (Qisas) have been unsuccessful.

20-year-old Arvin Ghahremani, an Iranian Jew, is facing imminent execution following his conviction for killing a Muslim during a quarrel. As a member of a religious minority, the discriminatory laws make it difficult to spare his life. Reports from HRANA reveal that two years ago, Ghahremani killed Amir Shokri during a fight. He was arrested and quickly sentenced to death. Efforts by Ghahremani and the Kermanshah Jewish Committee to secure the victim’s family’s forgiveness through payment of blood money (Qisas) have been unsuccessful.

A video recently circulated on social media features Ghahremani’s mother appealing for public support to stop the execution. She pleads, “Pray for Arvin to come back home again.” Dr. Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, head of Iran’s Jewish Committee, confirmed that attempts to meet with the victim’s family and the newly appointed Imam of Friday Prayer in Kermanshah, Sheikh Mohammad-Hassan Rahimian, have been rejected. Efforts by the MP from Natanz to mediate were also fruitless, and proposals such as constructing a school in the victim’s name have been declined.

 

This case has heightened concerns within Iran’s Jewish community. Human rights activists argue that the retribution laws and their uneven application between Muslims and non-Muslims reflect systemic discrimination against religious minorities in Iran. These laws, rooted in religious ideology, often disadvantage non-Muslim citizens.

While Qisas mandates capital punishment if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, the reverse scenario does not hold—a Muslim who kills a non-Muslim is only obliged to pay blood money. This legal disparity is a significant barrier to a fair trial and the achievement of civil rights in Iran.

The ongoing enforcement of unjust penalties for the murder of non-Muslims has led to numerous extrajudicial killings, especially of Iran’s Baha’i community, by extremist elements.

Two Inmates Executed in Ilam Prison

On May 14, 2024, two inmates convicted of murder were executed in Ilam Prison, as reported by Kurdpa.

The executed inmates have been identified as Reza Gholamhosseini and Farrokh Khan-Mohammadi, both from Ilam County in Ilam Province. Gholamhosseini was arrested and accused of murder last year, while Khan-Mohammadi’s arrest and conviction date back to 14 years ago.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

Execution of Four Death-Row Inmates Along with Khosrow Besharat

On May 15, 2024, along with Sunni prisoner Khosrow Besharat, four other inmates convicted of murder and drug offenses, were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison, Karaj.

The inmates have been identified by HRANA as Mohammad-Reza Rahimpour, Sirus Hayatbini, Mohammad-Karim Fazeli, and an unidentified Afghan national. The first three were convicted of drug-related crimes, while the Afghan national was sentenced to death for murder.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

Sunni Death-Row Prisoner Khosrow Besharat Executed in Ghezel Hesar

On May 15, 2024, Sunni prisoner Khosrow Besharat was executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj after enduring over 14 years of imprisonment.

As reported by HRANA earlier, he was moved to solitary confinement 14 days ago to await his execution. On May 13, he had his final family visit.

In the same legal case, Ghasem Abasteh, Ayoub Karimi, Davoud Abdollahi, Farhad Salimi, and Anvar Khezri were also executed in the same prison. Khezri was executed today, May 15, 2024.

The case stems from the assassination of Abdolrahim Tina, the Imam of a mosque in Mahabad, in September 2008. In January and February 2010, Besharat and six other Sunni suspects were arrested in connection with the killing.

Initially sentenced to death by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammad Moghiseh, Besharat’s sentence was initially overturned by the Supreme Court. The case was then reassigned to Branch 15 of the same court, presided over by Judge Salavati, who reinstated the death sentences for Besharat and six other defendants. The Supreme Court ultimately upheld their death sentences on February 3, 2020.

Four Convicts Executed at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan

On May 12, 2024, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan was the site of the execution of four inmates, all convicted of a murder committed a decade ago.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the individuals executed were Masoud Estaki, Jafar Hosseinzadeh, Majid Rezaie, and Mostafa Ahgh-Mohammadi.

These men, along with Ghasem Salehi, were involved in a group altercation that resulted in the death of an individual identified only by the initials Sh.K. They were collectively sentenced to death in the ensuing legal proceedings. However, Ghasem Salehi was able to avoid execution by agreeing to pay 5 billion tomans in blood money to the family of the deceased.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.