Friday 17 March 2017

Iran: Eight Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges

According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, three prisoners were hanged at Zahedan Central Prison on Sunday March 12 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been identified as Yar Mohammad Reigi, Ismael Reigi, and Rahim Reigi. Dozens of the family members of these prisoners reportedly gathered outside the prison the night before their executions calling on the Iranian authorities to stop their execution sentences.

On Saturday March 11, a prisoner, identified as Manouchehr Abkhiz, was reportedly executed at Chahabar Prison on drug related charges.

The increase in the execution of Sunni prisoners is believed to be as a result of an alleged confidential order given by Iran's Judiciary Chief to "accelerate the execution of Sunni prisoners". Molana Abdul Hamid, a Sunni Friday Prayer Imam in Zahedan, has reportedly written a letter to Iran's leader, Ali Khamenei, expressing worry about the Judiciary Chief's alleged execution order and called for a follow up into the matter.

Four prisoners were reportedly hanged at Darya, Urmia's central prison (West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran), on drug related charges.

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, the executions were carried out on Tuesday March 14. The prisoners have been identified as Chengiz Badozadeh, Akram Hassanpour, Vahed Hamedi, and Kiumars Freydan (also known as Delawar).

According to the report by HRANA, Mr. Freydan was sentenced to death twice in two separate case files. In one of the files, he was charged with trafficking under 100 grams of narcotics, in the other, he was charged with trafficking under 500 grams of narcotics. One of his death sentences was reportedly commuted to life in prison. Mr. Freydan's wife is reportedly currently held in the women's ward of Urmia's central prison on drug related charges. Mr. Freydan's father, Effendi, was reportedly hanged by Iranian authorities in September 2016. Mr. Freydan's brother is reportedly held in Ward 14 of Urmia's central prison. Mr. Freydan's mother was reportedly released from the same prison recently.

The recent wave of executions in Iran comes at the same time time that the Iranian Parliament is reportedly reviewing a proposed bill to limit the use of the death penalty for drug related offenses.

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https://www.iranhr.net/en/articles/2819/

https://www.iranhr.net/en/articles/2820/




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