Death Penalties Continue to Rise As Iran Executes Six More Prisoners

The Islamic Republic's authorities executed six more prisoners on Wednesday as they continue their unprecedented use of the death penalty.

The death sentences of four prisoners, including two Afghan nationals, were carried out in Tabriz Prison. 

The other two prisoners have been identified as Mohammad Ansari Qeshlaq, 44, from Qeshlaq village in Tabriz, and Ali Mahdian, 32, from Hashtrood. 

All four individuals were convicted of alleged murder and sentenced to death by the judiciary, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization. 

Ali Mahdian was arrested three years ago for premeditated murder following a financial dispute.

Mohammad Ansari Qeshlaq had been in prison for the past four years and was recently moved to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution.

Further, on Wednesday, the death sentences of two prisoners convicted on drug-related charges were carried out in Sabzevar Prison. 

HRANA human rights organization identified the prisoners as Musa-Reza Ebrahimi, 24, and Reza Zardkoohi, 31. Both were arrested on drug-related charges and subsequently sentenced to death by the judiciary. 

Musa-Reza Ebrahimi had been in custody for approximately three years before being transferred to Sabzevar Prison.

The prisoners were placed in solitary confinement the day before their executions.

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 underlines an 89 percent increase 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.