Prisoner Executed in Birjand Prison for Drug Offenses

At dawn on Sunday, September 29, the execution of a prisoner who had been previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges was carried out in Birjand Prison, South Khorasan province.

HRANA has identified the prisoner, who was hanged on Sunday morning, September 29, as Mojtaba Zafarani, a 21-year-old from Kashmar.

Mr. Zafarani was transferred to solitary confinement from Ward 5 of Birjand Prison on the night of Saturday, September 28. His family was summoned to the prison a day prior to his transfer for a final visit with their son.

Mojtaba Zafarani was arrested about two years ago on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

As of the time of this report, the execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or related institutions.

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.

Thirteen Were Executed in a Month for Rape

HRANA News Agency – The Statistics, Publications and Achievements Division of Human Rights Activists in Iran has reported that thirteen prisoners accused of rape have been executed in various cities throughout Iran during the last thirty days.According to the policy set forth by Iran’s Judiciary Branch, twelve of these individuals were hanged in public in order to set examples and frighten the masses.

These executions have been happening while in recent days, the news of gang-rapes in Esfahan and Kashmar has caused increasingly sharp criticism of the Judiciary System that has failed to assist the victims who called the emergency services for help.

According to the report released by the Statistics, Publications and Achievements Division of Human Rights Activists in Iran, nine prisoners were also hanged in different cities throughout Iran from mid April to mid May.

It seems as if punishing the perpetrators of rape violently has produced reverse effects in dealing with this harmful social phenomenon such that the spokesman for Iran’s Judiciary Branch has indirectly pointed out that there are tens of rapes cases only in the city of Kashmar.