Iran: Five Prisoners Executed

A prisoner with murder charges and two prisoners with drug-related charges were executed at Lakan Prison in Rasht (Gilan province, northern Iran), and two prisoners with drug-related charges were executed at Parsilon Prison in Khorramabad (Lorestan province, western Iran). 

A report by the state-run news agency Diyarmirza identifies the prisoners who were executed at Lakan Prison as: A.Y., 54 years old, charged with trafficking and possessing five kilograms of heroin and 350 grams of crystal meth; K.Y., 30 years old, charged with organizing and managing the purchase activties of the other defendants and also trafficking five kilograms of heroin; and A.A., 27 years old, charged with murder. A report by the human rights news agency HRANA identifies the prisoner "A.A." as Aref Alinasb.

Close sources to Iran Human Rights have identified the prisoners who were executed at Parsilon Prison as: Alireza Dervishi and Hojat (surname unknown at this time), both charged with traffickig and possessing 10 kilograms of narcotics. Both of these prisoners were reportedly detained for eight years before they were executed.

A source close to Alireza and Hojat tells Iran Human Rights that they were denied their right to an attorney. The source also says that Alireza and Hojat had no previous criminal record related to narcotics.