According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Haal Vsh, on September 11, 2022, two inmates identified as Mehran Noor-Mohammadi, 27 and Hassan Mohammadipour, 27 were executed in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan.
These inmates were convicted of armed robbery and shooting in 2016.
On July 26, political prisoner Khaled Freidooni was released from Urmia Prison after 22 years in prison.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Mostafa Nili, Freidooni’s lawyer, announced the release of his client from Urmia Prison on social media.
On August 31, 2000, Freidooni was arrested and charged with “acting against national security” and “enmity against God (Moharebeh) through association with an anti-regime political party”. The Revolutionary Court of Mahabad sentenced him to death. After three and half years, this verdict was reduced to imprisonment on appeal.
During this period, Freidooni was held in Piranshahr, Mahabad and Urmia prisons. In 2007, he went into exile in Rajai Shahr Prison. After ten years, he was sent back to Urmia Prison.
On January 16, 2022, for the first time after 21 years, Freidooni was granted furlough.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Monday, June 20, 2022, political prisoner Firooz Musaloo was executed in Urmia Prison.
Musaloo was earlier sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Urmia on the charges of “enmity against God (Moharebeh)”, and “membership in one of the anti-regime political parties.”
Yesterday, intelligence-affiliated Fars News Agency, quoting the Chief Justice of West Azerbaijan, claimed an inmate accused of killing two border agents was executed. Although this news agency did not disclose the name and other details, it appears to refer to Mualoo’s execution.
On July 11, 2019, Firooz Musaloo was arrested by IRGC’s Intelligence and transferred to a detention center in Urmia. On January 1, 2020, he was sent to Urmia Prison.
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.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Wednesday, May 26, 2022, at least eight inmates were executed in Rajai-Shahr Prison.
Four of these prisoners were identified as Abbas Bitarafan, Ali Nosrati and Gholamhossein Zeynali from the ward known as Darol-Quran in Rajai-Shahr Prison. They were charged with “enmity against God” otherwise known as moharebeh. Iran Human Rights Organization has identified two other prisoners as Ali Montazeri and Vahid Mian-Abadi.
Additionally, Rasank News reported the execution of an inmate identified as Abdollah Barahooie in Zahedan Central Prison last Saturday. He was convicted of drug-related crimes.
Lastly, according to Rokna News, on May 22, an inmate identified as Elias Q, age 26, was executed in Mashhad Prison. On October 10, 2018, he hit a man with his car which led to his death. After a few hours, he turned himself in.
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.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the death sentence of Hossein Kheiri was commuted to five years imprisonment.
Seven other defendants of this case, Majid Kahrari, Fardin Asgari, Nima Heidari, Milad Karami, Mahmood Karami, and two others were sentenced to a total of 34 years and 6 months by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. The charges against them varied from “assembly and collusion to act against national security” to “enmity against God.”
Earlier, in reaction to the death penalty verdict against his client, attorney Babak Paknia stated that “there are many flaws in this case” and “the charge of Moharebeh does not fit the actions taken by my client.” He had expressed hope that the Supreme Court would reduce the verdict.
In 2020, along with seven other individuals, Hossein Kheiri, age 35, was arrested by security forces in Tehran.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, he has faced serious medical neglect in this time, and suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and pulmonary problems. Afravi recently contracted COVID-19, but was not dispatched to any medical center outside prison upon receiving a positive test.
53-year-old Rahim Afravi is married and the father of two children. In June 1999, security forces arrested Afravi when he was returning home from his workplace in the outskirts of Ahvaz City. Initially, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death on a charge of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh) and “acting against national security”. On appeal, the verdict was reduced to 25 years imprisonment and exile to Jiroft Prison.
According to an informed source, while he was in exile jail in Jiroft, his mother passed away. Family visitations were few and far between because of the great distance between the jail and the residence place of his family. After 13 years imprisonment in exile, he was relocated to Karun and then to Sheyban prison in Ahvaz City.
In August of this year, his request for release on parole and leave on furlough was dismissed by Branch 12 of the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Sangar’s release comes after 21 years of imprisonment.
On August 31, 2000, Sangar was arrested. However, in his legal case, October 29 of that year has been wrongly recorded as the arrest date.
On November 18, 2000, the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj, headed by judge Fatemi, sentenced him to death on the charge of “enmity against God (Moharebeh) through membership in The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran”. Following this conviction, Sangar was transferred from the detention center of the ministry of intelligence in Sanandaj to ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, where he was held in solitary confinement cells until 2003. In the fall of 2003, the appellate court changed the verdict to life imprisonment and sent him to Urmia Prison.
Years later, on December 23, 2016, the executive branch No. 4 of the Department of Justice in Sanandaj reduced the verdict to 18 years imprisonment.
In 2017, a new case was opened against him for the charge of “propaganda against the regime” of which, however, he was later acquitted.
Despite that by December of 2020, not only he had served out two years more than his 18-years sentence, he was sentenced again to 11 months imprisonment sentence on the charge of ” propaganda against the regime and in favor of dissident groups against the regime”. This sentence was reduced to eight months, which led to his final release this Saturday, October 30.
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.
Dariush Shahonvand, prosecutor of Khorramabad said, “These people are armed thieves who stole in Poldakhtar, Khorramabad, Doroud, and Aleshtar counties. The arrested armed robbers will be charged for Moharebeh (rebellion, or waging war against God in Shariah Law) with the most severe punishment, which is the death penalty. The hearings of these defendants will be public.”
In recent years, law enforcement officers have occasionally humiliated accused criminals in a similar manner, by parading them around the city. This violates human rights treaties, domestic law, and violates human dignity.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Javan Online, he was also sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on a charge of “moharebeh”. Moharebeh, or “waging war against God”, is another pillar of Sharia law that is typically applied to those suspected of connection to any acts against the state.
The defendant was sentenced to death and lashes by the Criminal Court and the Revolutionary Court in separate sentences.
According to the report, the defense attorney of one of the victims said, in reference to the sentence issued for the defendants in this case, “The first defendant in this case was sentenced to death and lashes, and the other defendants were sentenced to long prison terms, lashes and deportation to place with a bad climate.”
“The verdicts have not yet been finalized and needs to be considered by the Supreme Court,” he added. “The cases are about to be sent to the Supreme Court.”
