Death Penalty in Iran Sees Spike, Nine Executed in a Day

The Islamic Republic of Iran has executed nine prisoners amid a significant rise in the death penalty, Haalvsh human rights news agency reported. 

According to the report, on Sunday, five prisoners, identified as Ahmadreza Miri, Shamsuddin Keshani, Shovkat Shahbakhsh, and Jamal Mardani, were executed in Kerman prison.

The identity of the fifth prisoner has not yet been reported. 

Simultaneously, the sentences of two prisoners in Ghezelhesar prison, near Tehran, and two others in Chabahar prison were carried out.

These prisoners were placed in solitary confinement on Friday and were allowed to meet with their families for the final time.

While all these prisoners were incarcerated on drug-related charges, they had separate cases.

The trial process for those arrested on charges of transporting and selling drugs has been deemed unfair. 

At least one prisoner among them consistently denied the accusations throughout his detention and court proceedings, maintaining that he was only the driver of the vehicle in which the substances were found.

In the past ten days, Iran has witnessed a surge in the execution of prisoners. However, these coincided with the conflict with Israel, diverting international attention away from the executions.

According to a report by Amnesty International, Iran has reached its highest level of death sentence execution in the last eight years, with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic executing 853 people in 2023 alone.

The report indicates that 481 executions, more than half of the total, were related to drug crimes. 

This marks an 89 percent increase in the death penalty compared to 2022, when 255 people were executed for drug-related offenses, and a staggering 264 percent increase compared to 2021, when 132 individuals faced execution for similar charges.