Iranian authorities executed 10 men in Qezelhesar prison on October 18, raising the number of executions to 567 so far this year, the Iran Human Rights Organization reported.
Three of the men appear to have been sentenced to death as a result of drug-related convictions, including one man identified as Hojat Beg Rezaei, while the HRANA news agency reported that two others, Shahab Shahbazi and Mohammad Behzadi, were also executed because of drugs crimes.
The identities and specific charges of the remaining seven men remain unknown.
Meanwhile, at least four other prisoners on death row for drug-related offenses have been moved to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions at Karaj Penitentiary, near Tehran.
Strongly condemning the group executions in Iran, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization has called on the international community for a strong reaction.
“The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which collaborates with the Islamic Republic on combating drug trafficking, has an obligation to take action against arbitrary drug executions," said the organization's director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
"The UN’s silence on these executions is a green light of approval," he added.
At least 305 people were executed for drug-related charges between January 1 to October 10 2023, a 69% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
In October, at least 35 people have been executed for the charges so far, according to the Iran Human Rights Organization.
The Islamic Republic is among the world’s top executioners. At least 567 individuals, including 13 women, have been executed in Iranian prisons since the start of the year.
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