Two Executions on Murder Charges

Execution in Karaj

According to a close source, on the morning of Monday October 30, a prisoner was executed at Rajai Shahr Prison on murder charges. The prisoner, identified as Mojtaba Ghiasvand, was transferred to solitary confinement in a group of more than 10 people on Monday October 23. Seven of the prisoners were executed on Wednesday October 25, but Mojtaba’s execution was postponed for unknown reasons until yesterday.

“Mojtaba Ghiasvand’s family was called on Monday afternoon to receive his body,” said a close source to Iran Human Rights (IHR).

Mojtaba Ghiasvand had been transferred to solitary confinement twice but each time returned to his cell by asking the plaintiffs for time. The prisoner had allegedly killed someone in a tribal dispute, and although he insisted on his innocence during the proceedings of the case, he was sentenced to death through Qassameh. Qassameh is a way to prove a crime (murder or injury) in Islamic jurisprudence and the penal law of Iran. Qassameh is based on oath by a certain number of people and is performed when the judge decides that there are not enough evidences of guilt to prove the crime even though they are presumably correct.

Death sentences are usually carried out at Rajai Shahr Prison on Wednesdays, and the implementation of this sentence on Monday was out of the ordinary.

The execution of this prisoner has not been announced by the state-run media so far.

Execution in Mashshad

Mashreq Website reported the execution of a prisoner at Mashhad Central Prison on the morning of Monday October 30. The prisoner, identified as Mehdi K., 23, was charged with murder. In 2014 when he was 20, Mehdi allegedly murdered a driver with the help of his 18-year-old wife during a robbery. His wife was sentenced to 12 years and six months imprisonment.