Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 26, 2024: Amin Farahmand, Hamed Ranjbar, Mahmood Keshavarzi and Kateb Seyednian were executed for murder and drug-related charges in Shiraz Central Prison on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 24 December. His identity has been established as 37-year-old Amin Farahmand (right photo) from Kazeroun.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Amin was arrested three years ago and he was sentenced to death for drug charges and murder while moving the drugs. He was transferred to the gallows form Ward 10 of the prison. It appears that he was executed for the drug charges.
Furthermore, three other men were executed at the prison on 25 December. Their identities have been established as 40-year-old Hamed Ranjbar (right photo) from Kerman, 43-year-old Mahmood Keshavarzi (left photo) from Safa and Kateb Seyednia, an Afghan national from Balkh province.
Hamed was arrested for drug-related charges four years ago. Mohammad Keshavarzi was arrested for murder five years ago and Kateb Seyednia was also on death row for murder.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020. In the first six months of 2024, at least 147 people were executed for the charges.
On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”