13 executed in Iran’s Qezel Hessar Prison

Iran’s Qezel Hessar Prison officials announced that 26 prisoners have been transferred to the quarantine to be prepared for execution in the past two days.

Reporters and Human Rights Activists of Iran (RAHANA) reports that the authorities executed thirteen of these prisoners this morning.

Mohammad Seyfzadeh, court attorney and human rights activist commented on the hangings saying: “Most of the executed prisoners had requested a pardon which was denied.” He added that most of these individuals were first time offenders.

The death sentences of these prisoners were mostly issued by Judge Hosseini, head of First Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court.

The Islamic Republic has stepped up processing execution sentences and 21 people have been executed in various prisons in the past month.

Iran holds the highest record of executions in the world after China, according to human rights organizations.

In early May, Iranian authorities executed five political prisoners without prior notice to their family or attorneys. The execution of Farzad Kamangar, Ali Heydarian, Farhad Vakili, Shirin Alamholi and Mehdi Eslamian was condemned by all human rights organizations as well as Iran’s chief opposition leader, MirHosein Mousavi.

The executions were carried out while three of the cases were under revision. Furthermore, the officials also refused to return the remains of the prisoners to their families for burial. After a month Kurdistan Governor announced that the prisoners were buried in a location which could not be currently disclosed due to security reasons.

Khalil Bahramian, attorney to some of these prisoners announced: “In effect we wrote letters to every possible person in this time from provincial officials to MPs, Head of the Judiciary and anyone that is accountable for this matter.” He added that the Head of the Judiciary acted in complete indifference to the pleas.

Currently 17 more Kurdish political prisoners are on the death row in different prisons of the Islamic Republic.