Saeed Mohammadifard Executed in Sanandaj/Abdolrahman Mozafari at Risk

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison on 25 May. His identity has been established as Saeed Mohammadifard from Kermanshah. He was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Saeed Mohammadifard was arrested for murder charges seven years ago. He was transferred for execution on two previous occasions but had managed to obtain extensions in his case.”

Another death row prisoner identified as 60-year-old Abdolrahman Mozafari was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution on 27 May. A Qorveh native, he was also sentenced to qisas for murder.

Informed sources told Iran Human Rights that he has been on death row for 16 years.

At the time of writing, the execution of Saeed Mohammadifard has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to the 2022 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 582 people were executed in Iran. Of those, 288 were executed for murder charges.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.