11 Prisoners Executed, 4 in Danger of Execution

Iran Human Rights

Ten prisoners were reportedly hanged at Rajai Shahr Prison (Alborz province, northern Iran) on murder charges. According to close sources, the exeutions were carried out by Iranian authorities on Sunday December 11.

Close sources have identified the names of two of the prisoners as Ali Jafari and Abdollah Ghaffari. The names of the other eight prisoners are not known at this time. The ten prisoners were reportedly transferred to solitary confinement on Saturday December 10 in preparation for their executions.

Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have been silent about these ten executions.

A man jailed for 15 years in prisons in the Republic of Azerbaijan was executed at Ardabil Central Prison (northwestern Iran) on November 4, a few months after he was returned to Iran.

According to the human rights news agency, HRANA, the man's name is Nemat Rahman Garmi, and he was returned to Iran in August 2016, at the same time that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had made a visit to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Iranian and Azerbaijani authorities had reportedly signed an extradition agreement.

The HRANA report says that the charges againt Mr. Rahman Garmi are not clear. Some other reports have suggested that his charges were security related, such as transporting and storing illegal weapons.

At least four prisoners who are on death row on drug related charges in Karaj Central Prison were transferred to solitary confiement on Monday December 12 in preparation for their executions, close sources to IHR report.

According to the human rights news agency HRANA, a total of nine prisoners might have been transferred to solitary confinement.

The Iranian authorities continue to execute prisoners on drug related charges when the Iranian parliament reportedly approved an emergency plan last week that aims to abolish the death penalty for drug related charges.