Execution of Two Inmates in Arak and Ghezel Hesar Prisons

On April 24, 2024, two inmates were executed in Arak Prison and Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj.

Javad Asgari, who was convicted of murder, was executed in Arak Prison, Markazi province. In Ghezel Hesar Prison, Shahram Sharghi was executed for drug offenses. He had been sentenced to death 12 years ago by the Revolutionary Court.

No official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have provided coverage of these executions at the time of writing. In 2023, 66% of HRANA’s reports on executions lacked official announcements by judicial authorities and went unreported by media inside Iran, highlighting a troubling lack of transparency in due process.

In 2023, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered the execution of 767 individuals. Out of these, 7 were carried out in public. Among the executed individuals whose genders were identified, 21 were female. Additionally, 2 juvenile offenders, defined as individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes, were also executed. For a comprehensive examination of the details and statistics surrounding the executions in Iran, refer to HRANA’s annual report.

 

Four Inmates Executed for Drug-Related Crimes in Ghezel Hesar Prison

On May 20, 2023, four inmates convicted of drug-related crimes were executed in Ghezel Hesar prison, Karaj.

HRANA has identified them as Saeed Geravand, Samad Geravand, Shahab Mansouri Nasab and Shahram Sharghi.
A knowledgeable informant speaking to HRANA revealed that a number of inmates had initiated a hunger strike in protest of the escalating number of executions. Prior to their scheduled executions, these four inmates, along with three others, were relocated to solitary confinement, as reported by HRANA earlier.

At the time of writing, no official sources or domestic media outlets within the country have reported on these executions.

In recent weeks, the number of execution has been alarmingly raised.
In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports related to the death penalty. This included 92 death sentences, including the conviction of 6 people to public execution and 565 execution sentences were carried out, 2 of which have been carried out in public. Based on the announced identifications of some of the executed individuals, 501 were male and 11 were female. In addition, 5 juvenile offenders were executed in 2022, meaning they were under the age of 18 at the time they committed the crime.