At least Eight Prisoners Were Executed in Karaj

In the morning of September 25, at least eight prisoners who were sentenced to death earlier, were executed in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. Few days earlier, these prisoners alongside few others were transferred to solidarity confinement cells in Rajai Shahr prison to get prepared for execution for drug-related or murder felonies. 29-year old Davoud Samkar and 33-year old Mostafa Bakhti who were sentenced to death on the charge of murder were executed alongside six other prisoners. They were transferred to solidarity confinement with Ali Daravari (Delavari) and Mojtaba Soleimani. Daravari was returned to his ward after getting more time from victim’s next of kin. The status of Mojtaba Soleimani, the prisoner of the ward 7 of Rajai Shahr prison, is still unknown. According to Iran Human Rights (IHR), four prisoners who were transferred from Ghezel Hesar Prison to Rjai Shahr Prison on September 23, 2019, were executed on September 25. Their names are still unknown.

The news of these executions has not been published by the Iranian media yet.

According to the international organizations, Iran ranks first in the world in executions per capita. Based on 256 reports that have been registered by the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists Association in Iran, 195 death sentences and 236 people with death sentences were executed (including 13 executions in public) in Iran between January 1, 2018 and December 20, 2018. Six of them were juvenile offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing the crime. Secret executions of prisoners reported by the independent sources and the human rights association indicate that 72% of executions are carried out in secret or without any public notice.

Mojtaba Bakhti was among the prisoners who were executed.