Western Iran: Two Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges

According to the human rights news agency HRANA, the executions were carried out on the  morning of Friday January 20. HRANA has identified the prisoners as Jahangir Beiravand and Adel Beiravand.

"Adel Beiravand was innocent, but he was executed based on the confessions of the main individual cnvicted in the case file," a close source tells Iran Human Rights. The close source also says that the execution sentences for six other prisoners at Parsilon Prison were just confirmed by the Supreme Court and have been sent for implementation.

Iranian official sources, including the Judiciary and the media, have not announced these two executions.

Executions for drug related charges are increasing in Iran while the Iranian Parliament has proposed a law to limit the use of the death penalty for drug charges. The law must first be approved by Iran's Guardian Council, and it is not clear whether it would actually lead to a reduction in the number of drug related executions. Additionally, members of parliament recently wrote a letter to the head of the Judiciary calling for a halt to the execution sentences of about five thousand prisoners who are on death row for allegedly committing drug related offenses.