Iran Executes Two Amid Rising Death Penalty Concerns

The Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out the executions of two prisoners, amid a significant rise in using the death penalty.

Executed on March 4 at Shiraz Central Prison were an Afghan citizen, known only by the first name Iman, and an Iranian national named Mostafa Jamil Samadi, as reported by human rights groups.

The Iran Human Rights Organization disclosed that Iman faced execution following a conviction of "homicide" by the Iranian judiciary. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Samadi was executed on charges related to drug offenses.

There has been no official news coverage of these executions in government-affiliated media, including outlets connected to the Iranian judiciary. 

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization report, the Islamic Republic executed approximately 834 individuals last year. Out of these, 471—constituting 56%—were put to death for drug-related crimes.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the frequency of death sentences reached a yearly peak in January, with at least 35 individuals sentenced to death within the month.

Furthermore, January saw the execution of up to 86 people.

HRANA highlighted that capital punishment in Iran is “routinely imposed following trials that fall short of due process guarantees, in a judicial system that lacks transparency and impartiality, and for crimes that do not amount to the most serious crimes under international law.”