Drug-Related Crimes: Three Prisoners Executed in Karaj Central Prison

HRANA News Agency – At dawn on Sunday, January 26, three prisoners previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in Karaj Central Prison.

HRANA has identified these hanged prisoners as Farhad Fardini, Samad Hashemi, and Farzad Mirzaei.

HRANA had previously reported that these prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the implementation of their death sentences. The individuals had been arrested on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Courts.

As of the time of this report, prison authorities and relevant institutions have not officially announced the executions.

According to data gathered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists, during 2024, about 7 people per 100,000 were executed in Alborz Province. Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj ranks first with 138 executions.

Prisoner Executed in Karaj Central Prison for Drug-Related Offenses

On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, a prisoner previously sentenced to death for drug-related offenses was executed in Karaj Central Prison.

The prisoner has been identified by HRANA as Ehsan Basati Valiabad, a 31-year-old resident of Kuhdasht. HRANA has also reported that three other death-row inmates were executed in the same prison on the previous day.

According to HRANA’s findings, Mr. Basati was arrested in 2020 in Karaj on charges related to drug offenses and was subsequently sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. On Sunday, November 24, he was moved to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.

As of this report, the execution has not been publicly announced by prison officials or other responsible authorities.
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.

Three Prisoners Executed on Drug Charges in Karaj Central Prison

At dawn on Monday, November 25, 2024, three prisoners convicted on drug-related charges were executed in Karaj Central Prison.

The identities of the executed individuals have been confirmed as Ashkan Moradi, Jalal Haj Babayi, and Davood Heidari. All three had been arrested on charges related to drug offenses and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary.

Two days prior to the executions, on Saturday, November 23, the prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their sentences to be carried out.

Notably, another prisoner, Ehsan Basati, who was also on death row for similar charges, had his execution postponed and was returned to the prison’s general ward.

As of the time of publication, neither prison officials nor relevant authorities have officially announced these executions.

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.

Four Prisoners Executed in Karaj for Alleged Role in Toxic Alcohol Distribution

On October 23, four prisoners were executed in Karaj Central Prison after being convicted of “the large-scale production and distribution of toxic alcoholic beverages” and charged with “corruption on earth.” The judiciary’s news agency, Mizan, reported the execution but did not disclose the identities of the prisoners.

The executions were tied to a case from June 16, 2023, involving the widespread distribution of toxic alcoholic beverages in Karaj. The four prisoners had previously been sentenced to death for “corruption on earth through crimes against the physical integrity of individuals.” Their original death sentences were overturned by the Supreme Court in late June 2024, but after further review, they were again sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court.

The judiciary’s spokesperson had earlier claimed that the actions of these individuals resulted in the deaths of 17 people and caused blindness in 191 others.

In addition to the four executions, seven other defendants in this case were sentenced to prison terms.

Many experts believe that the ban on the import, sale, and consumption of alcohol in Iran has contributed to the rise of counterfeit alcohol production, leading to numerous fatalities and health complications.

According to HRANA’s latest annual report, between October 10, 2023, and October 8, 2024, at least 811 individuals were executed in Iran, marking a 23.06% increase compared to the same period last year. Four of these executions were carried out publicly, with many of the accused reportedly being denied fair trials.

Farhad Sheikhi Sentenced to Imprisonment and Additional Penalties

Farhad Sheikhi, a workers’ rights advocate, has been sentenced by the Revolutionary Court of Karaj to one year in prison, a two-year travel ban, two years of mandatory residence in Divandarreh, and a two-year ban on living in Alborz and Tehran provinces.

Based on a verdict recently issued by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, presided over by Judge Seyed Musa Asif al-Hosseini and communicated to Mr. Sheikhi, he has been sentenced to one year in prison, two years of exile to Divandarreh in Kurdistan province, and a two-year travel ban for the charge of “propaganda against the regime.” Additionally, after the period of exile, he is prohibited from living in Alborz and Tehran provinces for two years. His court session regarding this charge was held on June 19th of this year.

Farhad Sheikhi was arrested by security forces at his home in Hashtgerd on May 28th of 2023 and was subsequently transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj.

Mr. Sheikhi was eventually released on June 13th of the same year from Karaj Central Prison on a bail of 100 million Tomans after being formally charged at the Hashtgerd Prosecutor’s Office.

This workers’ rights advocate has previously been arrested and sentenced due to his activities. He was released from prison on February 7, 2023, as per a pardon directive.

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Prisoner Executed in Karaj Central Prison

At dawn on Wednesday, September 22, a prisoner was executed in Karaj Central Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Tabnak, the inmate had previously been sentenced to death on charges of moharebeh (rebellion, or waging war against God in Shariah Law), disturbing public security, and murder.

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 report does not state the identity of this prisoner.

Christian Convert Hamed Ashouri Sent to Karaj Central Prison

On Tuesday, July 27, Christian convert Hamed Ashouri was sent to Karaj Central Prison to endure his sentence.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the website Article 18, the Court of Appeals upheld Ashouri’s ten-month prison sentence the previous day.

Hamed Ashouri had been arrested by security forces in Fardis city in Karaj, in March 2017, and transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj for interrogation. He was temporarily released after ten days. It is alleged that security forces raided Mr. Ashouri’s home while he was in custody.

A hearing on the charges against this citizen was held in February 2020 in Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj. Finally, in April of this year, Mr. Ashouri was sentenced to 10 months in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime.

Despite the fact that Christians are recognized as a religious minority under Iranian law, security forces nevertheless pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity.

The Iranian regime targets Christian converts despite Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which state that every individual has the right to freedom of religion and belief and freedom to express it openly or secretly.