Two Inmates Executed in Qom Prison

On Saturday, May 7, 2022, two inmates who were convicted of drug-related crimes and murder were executed in Qom Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Iran Human Rights Organization, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, quoting the Iran Human Rights Organization, two inmates identified as Yousef Naderi, age 40, and Abolfazl Mardai, age 50, were executed in Qom Prison.

Reportedly, in 2017, Abolfazl Mardai was arrested for drug smuggling on the road connecting Tehran to Qom and subsequently sentenced to death. Yousef Naderi was arrested four years ago for killing a man over a financial dispute.

Neither of the executions have been reported by official sources and media outlets inside Iran so far.

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.