At dawn on Wednesday, July 28, three prisoners who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in Qazvin Prison.
According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Iran Human Rights (HRI),the three prisoners have been identified as Esmail Fatehi, Mansour Mohammadi, and Mozaffar (unknown surname).
“Esmail Fatehi was arrested and imprisoned five years ago for carrying 300 kilograms of opium,” the report quoted an informed source as saying. “Mansour Mohammadi and Mozaffar have also been in prison for about six years.”
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 three prisoners has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources.