Cartoon by Assad Bina Khahi

Iran Executes 16 People in One Day Amid Surge in Death Penalties

IranWire: The Islamic Republic’s authorities have executed at least sixteen people in a single day.

According to a report by the Iran Human Rights Organization, the death sentences of 13 men and one woman were carried out on Wednesday at Karaj Central Prison. On the same day, two other prisoners were also executed at Urmia Central Prison.

The charges against these prisoners were listed as “premeditated murder,” “rape,” or drug-related offenses, for which they had been sentenced to death.

According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization, among those executed in Karaj Prison were two citizens from Sistan and Baluchistan, 33-year-old Ahmad Narouei and 31-year-old Mohammad Eshaqzahi, both residents of Zahedan.

The identity of another person executed, Saeed Safaei, a 55-year-old retired teacher, has also been reported.

On Wednesday, the execution of two Kurdish prisoners was also carried out at Urmia Central Prison.

According to a report by Amnesty International, Iran has reached its highest level of death penalty 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 marks an 89 per cent rise in death penalties for drug-related offenses compared to 2022, when 255 people were executed.

The latest numbers also show a staggering 264 per cent increase compared to 2021, when 132 individuals were executed on similar charges.