Four Prisoners Executed for Rape in Mashhad

According to Fars News Agency who quoted the Public Relations and Communications of the Khorasan Razavi judiciary, four prisoners were executed in Mashhad Central Prison on the morning of March 15. The four men were sentenced to death on charges of “kidnapping and rape and threatening violence and rape.”

Their identities were announced as Ruhollah Javidi-Rad, Mohammad Sayadi Baghsangani, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Vatandoust.

They were accused of raping a woman in the Sefid Sang Fariman mountain region. Their hasty executions raise questions about the due process and their right to a fair trial.

In cases involving rape, the likelihood of defendants being tortured to force a confession and issuing the death sentence based on the false confession, is very high. Iran is one of the few remaining countries to issue the death penalty for rape.