Tehran, Iran – The Hengaw Human Rights Organization has released a new report revealing that at least 67 prisoners were executed in various Iranian prisons during July. The report states that of this total, Iranian authorities and judiciary websites only announced eight cases. This reflects a policy of secrecy. The organization noted that seven of these executions were carried out in complete secrecy. Families were not informed or granted a final visit. Two other executions were carried out publicly.
Details of cases and target groups
The list of those executed included women and minors. Two women, Setayesh Mohammadpour in Jahrom on drug-related charges, and Azzam Jerami in Yasuj on charges of premeditated murder, were executed in Shiraz and Yasuj prisons, respectively. The executions also included 18-year-old Meysam Irandegani. He had allegedly committed his crime when he was only 16.
The list of political prisoners and protesters executed included prominent figures such as Mohiuddin Abdullah and Hossein Balani Jaf in Kermanshah Central Prison. Additionally, Mohammad Amini Dehghani, Erfan Esfandiari, and Ghol Mohammad Mohammadi (an Afghan national), who were arrested during the January protests, were executed in Isfahan Prison. Aref Khoshkar (a member of the Women, Life of Freedom movement) and Mehdi Khanki (accused of spying for Israel) were executed in Qezel Hesar Prison. Abolfazl Sepahi and Amir Hassan Safari were publicly executed in Isfahan.
Geographical distribution and international claims
The executions were spread across 24 Iranian provinces. Isfahan prisons topped the list with 10 executions. East Azerbaijan and Fars followed with 8 each, and Alborz province with 6. In international reactions, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Mai Sato, called on Iranian authorities to immediately halt all executions. This came in response to the public execution of two defendants in the “Alikhani Square” case in Isfahan.
