Iran Executes Four Men on Drug Charges

The Islamic Republic of Iran has executed four more prisoners amid a significant rise in death penalties.

The four men, identified as Hassan Choopani, Taher Abdolali, Hassan Arabi (a father of two), and Abdollah Hassanzadeh, were reportedly convicted of drug offenses.

Two days before their execution, they were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their sentences being carried out.

According to a report by Amnesty International, Iran has reached its highest level of death sentence executions 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 rise in death penalties for drug-related offenses compared to 2022, when 255 people were executed. 

The latest numbers also show a staggering 264 percent increase compared to 2021, when 132 individuals faced execution on similar charges.