Five Inmates Executed in Birjand for Drug-Related Convictions

On October 26, authorities at Birjand Prison executed five individuals, as detailed by Haal Vsh.

The executed prisoners have been identified as Abdolbasir Mohammadani (30 years old), Mohammad-Nabi Shahoo-Zahi (55 years old), Mohamad Mirshah, Reza Shahraki, and Omid Jovini. All of them had previously been convicted of drug-related offenses.

According to data compiled by the Center of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 10, 2022, and October 8, 2023, a total of 659 individuals were executed by hanging in Iran, representing a 24% increase compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Seven of these executions were conducted publicly. Concerningly, many of the defendants were denied access to a fair trial and due process. For details and statistics, read HRANA’s report.

 

Five Inmates Executed in Birjand Prison

On February 26, Birjand Prison officials executed five death-row prisoners, including two women.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Haal Vsh, five inmates, including two women, were executed in Birjand Prison, South Khorasan Province.

Two of these men have been identified as Abdolhamid Sheh Bakhsh, a resident of Zahedan, and Ali Fanoodie, a resident of Birjand. In 2020, they were arrested and sentenced to death for drug-related crimes.
The identities of the three others are still unknown.

None of the official sources and media outlets inside the country has reported these executions at the time of writing.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.

 

 

Three Inmates Executed in Isfahan and Qom

Two inmates convicted of drug-related crimes were executed in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. Another inmate convicted of murder was executed in Qom Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Haal Vsh, on July 20, 2022, two inmates identified as Dariush Khazai, age about 60, and Mahmood Sadeghian, age 28, were executed in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan.

Both individuals were arrested and charged with drug-related crimes in 2019.

Haal Vsh also reported that in Birjand Prison, two death-row inmates charged with drug-related crimes were taken to solitary confinement which happens prior to execution. One of the inmates has been identified as Zabihollah Barahooi, age 38.

Iran Human Rights Organization also reported the execution of an inmate identified as Hamed Sarband, age 32, in Birjand Prison, who was convicted of murder.

The most recent report from the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists  (HRA) states that between January 1 of 2021 and December 20 of 2021, at least 299 citizens, including four juvenile offenders, were executed. In addition, 85 citizens were sentenced to death in this period. 

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 88% of executions. These unreported executions are known as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

Four Inmates Executed in Ardabil, Ilam and Birjand

On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, two inmates who were convicted of murder were executed in Ardabil Prison. On the same day, two other inmates, one in Birjand and the other in Ilam were executed.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, two inmates identified as Hojjat Asiabani and Sajjad Takroo, who were convicted of murder, was executed in Ardabil Prison.

Iran Human Rights Organization also reported the execution of an inmate identified as Sattar Arghandeh in Ilam prison, which was convicted of murder.

Lastly, Haal Vsh News reported the execution of an inmate identified as Mohammad-Reza Narroi Ghazagh, a resident of Zahedan, in Birjand Prison. In 2018, he was arrested for drug smuggling and sentenced to death. Reportedly, this prisoner was executed without informing his family and granting the last family visitation.

None of these executions has been reported by official sources and media outlets inside Iran so far. 

The most recent report from the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between January 1 of 2021 and December 20 of 2021, at least 299 citizens, including four juvenile offenders, were executed. In addition, 85 citizens were sentenced to death in this period. 

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 88% of executions. These unreported executions are known as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

 

Inmate Hanged in Birjand Prison on Drug-Related Charges

Earlier this Monday, October 11, an inmate was executed in Birjand Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Omid Sarani, a native of Zabol, had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

According to the last report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA), between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens were executed and 90 citizens were awarded death sentence.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 82% of carried-out executions, dubbed as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

Sarani’s execution has not been announced by official sources in Iran as of this writing.

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Farshid Rakshani Rad Executed in Birjand Prison in South Khorasan Province

On Wednesday, September 15, Farshid Rakhshani Rad was executed in Birjand Prison in South Khorasan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting The Baloch Activists Campaign, Mr. Rakhshani Rad had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges. He was from Mashhad.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed. One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders.

An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death. According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

As of this writing, the execution of Mr. Rakhshani Rad has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources.

At Least 4 Inmates Executed in Birjand Prison and Isfahan Prison

None of these executions have been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

At dawn on Sunday, August 8, two inmates were executed in Birjand Prison and two other inmates were executed in Isfahan Prisons.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rasank news, all 4 prisoners had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

The two inmates executed in Birjand Prison have been identified as Zabihollah Hormozi, known as Mehrollah Sanjarani, from Zahedan, and Majid Goleh Bacheh from Torbat-e- Jam.

The two prisoners executed in Isfahan Prison are Azam Mohammad Hosseini (Kiazehi) and Seyed Esmail Kord Tamini, both from Zahedan.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed. One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

The execution of these 4 prisoners has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

6 Prisoners Executed in Birjand Prison in the South Khorasan Province 

On May 25, six prisoners were executed in Birjand prison in South Khorasan.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting RASANK news, all six had been previously arrested on drug-related charges. The report has identified the six as Javad Nakhaei, Mohammad Reza Harati, Reza Azarian, Ruhollah Rigi, and Alireza Farsi, all from Zabol, and Reza As’adi from Mashhad.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per-capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) reported that between January 1st and  December 20th of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed. One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary. Human rights organizations call these “secret executions.”

At the time of this writing, their execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Two Prisoners Executed in Birjand in South Khorasan Province

Yesterday, two prisoners were executed in Birjand Prison in the South Khorasan province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Baloch Activists Campaign, the two citizens have been identified as Younes Totazehi from Chah-e Rahman rural district close to Zahedan city and Abdullah Totazehi son of Sohrab, from Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Younes and Abdullah Totazehi were arrested in 2019 and sentenced to death on drug related charges.

According to international organizations, considering its population, Iran ranks first in the world in the execution of its citizens. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) reported that between January 1st and  December 20th of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed. One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

More than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary. Human rights organizations call these “secret executions.”

As of this writing, the execution of  the two prisoners has not been announced by any Iranian media or official sources.

Birjand Prison Executes Four Afghan Nationals

Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) – Six years ago, four Afghan nationals planned to use underground channels to migrate to Iran, where they had invested hopes of a better life. In the early morning hours of October 2, 2018, they were executed on charges of “armed drug trafficking,” a charge to which they reportedly confessed under the duress of torture.

Shah Mohammad Miran Zehi, Ahmad Shah Issa Zehi, Mohammad Miran Zehi, and Eid Mohammad Miran Zehi were married with children and had been in Birjand Central Prison for over six years.

In an open letter, the prisoners explained the circumstances in which they were detained and coerced to utter false confessions. Mohammad Miran Zehi wrote that they had filed into a Toyota set to take them to Birjand from Zabul when they got into a dispute with their driver near the village of Bandan [a tributary of Nahbandan on the Afghanistan-Southern Khorasan border]. Claiming he needed gas, he reportedly dropped the group off at a private residence and said he would be back.

“When [the driver] returned, he was flanked by authorities. They struck me in the head and took us to the Bandan police station. They subjected us to the cruelest forms of torture in there,” Mohammad Miran Zehi said.

Accusing them of transporting more than 300 pounds of opium and two Kalashnikov rifles, Bandar authorities used violence to press them to confess, going as far as pulling a toenail from Mohammad’s right foot.

The case file against the four was set into motion when they finally acceded to the torturers’ demands, “under the pressure, the fear for our lives, the inability to take it any longer, and hoping that maybe it would make them stop,” their letter explained.

The case file was then forwarded to judicial authorities and spent five years in suspense before Judges Nabavi and Seyfzadeh of Birjand Revolutionary Court Branch 2 issued the execution sentence on January 31, 2017. The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Shah Mohammad Miran Zehi, Ahmad Shah Issa Zehi, Mohammad Miran Zehi, and Eid Mohammad Miran Zehi; the death sentence of Saraj Gavkhur, a fifth defendant on the same case file, was commuted to 25 years’ imprisonment.

According to a close source, the group was made scapegoats for an armed conflict that had taken the life of a security agent days before their entry into Iran.

Birjand Central Prison is in the city of Birjand, capital of Southern Khorasan Province.

According to Amnesty International’s annual report, Iran ranks first in the world in executions per capita. An annual report published by the Center of Statistics at Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) states that more than 60% of executions in Iran are not reported by the state or the Judiciary. These executions are referred to as “secret executions.”

According to registered data from 2,945 reports by the Statistics, Publications, and Achievements Division of HRAI, in the past year (from March 21, 2017, to March 18, 2018) at least 322 citizens were executed and 236 others were sentenced to death in Iran. Among these were the executions of four juvenile offenders and 23 public hangings.