Iran Executes Afghan National With Mental Illness

A mentally disturbed Afghan national was executed at Rafsanjan Central Prison in Iran's Kerman province. 

The prisoner, whose name was not disclosed, had been convicted on charges of "waging war against God" with multiple alleged homicides. 

According to state media, including IRNA, the individual was found guilty of killing ten people – six Afghan citizens and four residents of Rafsanjan – approximately two years ago.

Despite the prisoner's severe mental disorders, authorities proceeded with the execution, according to the Hengaw Organization 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 shows an 89 percent rise in the death penalty compared to 2022,, when 255 people were executed for drug-related offenses.

The latest numbers also show a 264 percent increase compared to 2021, when 132 individuals faced execution for similar charges.