At Least 77 Prisoners Put to Death in Iranian Prisons in April 2024

Hengaw: Thursday, May 2, 2024

In April 2024, the prisons of the Islamic Republic of Iran witnessed the execution of at least 77 prisoners, marking an 328% increase compared to the previous month, which saw 18 executions.

According to data compiled by the Statistics and Documents Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 77 prisoners were executed in Iranian prisons during April 2024. While the identities of 75 of these prisoners have been confirmed.

Of the executed prisoners, 18 were Baloch, 10 were Kurds, and 7 were Turks. Additionally, 11 Afghan nationals were executed in Iranian prisons in April.

In April, the death sentence , two women were executed in Ghezel Hesar and Birjand Prisons. One of the women has been identified as Marjan Haji zade from Shahin Dej, while the identity of the other woman, who is Baloch, remains unknown.

The highest number of execution sentences of prisoners has been carried out in Razavi Khorasan prisons, totaling 16 cases. Following closely are Alborz Province with 13 cases, Isfahan with 7 cases, Kerman with 6 cases, and East Azerbaijan with 5 cases. Fars and South Khorasan provinces follow with 4 cases each. Additionally, 3 prisoners each in Lorestan and Central provinces, Sistan and Baluchistan, Zanjan, Golestan, and Hormozgan prisons, as well as in West Azerbaijan (Urmia), Ardabil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Qom, Kurdistan (Sanandaj), Gilan, and Hamadan provinces, one case of execution of prisoners was recorded.

Out of the total 77 executions, only 4 cases, representing 5% of all cases, was officially announced by Iranian authorities or judiciary-affiliated websites.

Classification by charges:

In April, one religious prisoner was executed. The majority of executions were related to charges related to drug crimes, accounting for 52 cases, equivalent to 67,5% of all cases.

Premeditated murder: 26 cases
Drug-related crimes: 50 cases
Rape: 1 case