SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — Iranian authorities on Thursday executed five prisoners on charges of “trading narcotics,” including two Kurds from Rojhelat (Iranian Kurdistan), according to a statement by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
According to the statement, the executions took place at an Arak prison in Markazi province early Thursday.
As of now, Iran has executed four people accused of “disrupting the stability and security” of the country after Mahsa Amini’s death triggered nationwide protests.
In response to the executions, Amnesty International has called on the international community to take “urgent actions” to stop Iran from executing protesters.
The international community must take urgent action to stop further executions in Iran. pic.twitter.com/zsH4RHwWtL
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) January 11, 2023
In its most recent report about Iran, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports that Iran has executed 306 people since the Iranian New Year in March 2022.
Iran continues to be one of the world’s leading implementers of the death penalty
“Iran continues to be one of the world’s leading implementers of the death penalty,” the report adds.
In his report to the General Assembly in July 2022, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran also expressed concern over the rise in executions related to drugs.
According to Hengaw Organization, nine Kurds have been executed in the last 12 days for “disrupting national security” and drug trafficking.
The Iranian regime executed protesters Mohammad Mahdi Karami and Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini last week. They were previously sentenced to death for allegedly killing a member of the IRGC’s Basij militia during an anti-government protest in Karaj.
The #Iranian regime hanged two men on Saturday for allegedly killing a security official of Basij forces in Karaj during nationwide protests sparked by the death of #MahsaAmini, a 22-year-old #Kurdish Iranian woman, in September last year
📸: Iranian media pic.twitter.com/HXgk5cjmdt
— Zoom News (@zoomnewskrd) January 7, 2023
The Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) warned earlier this month that at least 100 Iranian protesters face execution and the death penalty by the Revolutionary Courts.
In addition to executions, according to a report by IHRNGO, a total of 476 people including 64 children and 34 women, have been killed by security forces in the recent nationwide protests.
