Additionally, two prisoners each were hanged in Maragheh prison, Rajai Shahr prison, Gorgan Prison and Semnan Central prison in the past one week.   

 On July 10th, it was reported that at least 11 prisoners were transferred to solitary cells for execution in Rajai Shahr prison, and that the death sentence for 7 of them was carried out in the courtyard on the next morning.

 On the morning of Monday, July 10th, a man was hanged in the Central Mahabad Prison. This Kurd man was arrested in 2012 for carrying narcotics and was sentenced to death by the Judiciary. According to an informed source, he is the father of a 7-year-old autistic child.

 In Taibad prison, another ten prisoners were executed on charges of drug related crimes in the Khorasan Razavi Province. Four of them were identified as farmers who were found to possess approximately 4 kg of heroin.

 All told, 28 executions have been carried out in Iranian prisons all over the country over the past few days.These prisoners were convicted and executed on various charges including murder, rape, and drug related crimes.

 Kazem Gharib Abadi, Assistant Head of International Affairs, said, “the public executions are implemented following legal guidelines, and it is the right of the people and is carried out by the victim’s family.” He further added, “In addition to this, 90 percent of executions are carried out for drug related crimes”.

 A Majlis of the Judicial Commission reviewed the Law to Counter Narcotics, and all the members of the commission, including Prosecutor General, were in favor of giving death sentences to drug traffickers. Anyone found guilty of possessing more than 100 kg of opium, 2 kg of marijuana or crystal meth or any other form of narcotics weighing more than 5 kg would be hanged. Another clause was added, that those who have had previous prison terms of 2-5 years and are once again found with narcotics will be considered for a death sentence, even if the weight is less than that determined.

 However, Human Rights Watch has gone on record as saying that the Iranian government should halt all executions for drug-related offenses while parliament debates amendments to reform the country’s drug law. This amendment to the drug law could drastically increase the bar for a mandatory death penalty sentence.