Two More Prisoners Executed for Drug Crimes in Iran

Iranian authorities carried out the executions of two prisoners, Hossein Salehi and Morteza Seifzadeh, in Tabriz Central Prison.

Both men had been previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Hossein Salehi, a 30-year-old from Hashtrud, and Morteza Seifzadeh, a 37-year-old from Tabriz, were reportedly arrested in connection with a joint case involving drug-related offenses.

The judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran subsequently sentenced both men to death.

The executions were carried out early Saturday morning, according to the Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights.

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 per cent increase compared to 2021, when 132 individuals faced execution on similar charges.