Five Drug Related Prisoners in Imminent Danger of Execution in Iran

Iran Human Rights (October 25 2016): Five prisoners were reportedly transferred to solitary confinement in Karaj Central Prison (Alborz province, northern Iran) in preparation for their executions. According to close sources, all five prisoners are sentenced to death on drug related charges. The prisoners were reportedly taken to solitary confinement on the morning of Saturday October 22 and had their last visit with family members on Monday October 24. Close sources say that Iranian authorities plan to execute the five prisoners at Ghezel Hesar Prison (nearby Karaj Central Prison) as early as October 25. The names of three of the prisoners have been confirmed to Iran Human Rights: Saeed Pourhassan, Mehrshad Kalhori, and Milad Beigdeloo. These three prisoners were reportedly arrested by Iranian authorities in spring 2012 in connection with the production of crystal meth. At the time of their arrest, Iranian authorities claimed to have seized 5.3 kilograms of narcotics from them. "They didn't seize any narcotics from my brother. He was arrested based on the confessions of two other defendants. He never confessed to anything during his interrogations. The two defendants had owed my brother money, and he had gone to their house to collect what they owed him," the brother of Saeed Pourhassan tells Iran Human Rights. Iranian authorities continue to execute prisoners for alleged drug related offenses, even though the death penalty for drug related charges is reportedly under consideration for review in the Iranian Judiciary.