Iran Human Rights (IHR); August 12, 2020: Two brothers who had been sentenced to qisas (retribution in-kind) for murder were executed in Tabriz Central Prison.
According to HRANA news agency, on the morning of Thursday, August 6, two brothers on death row were executed in Tabriz Central Prison. Their identities have now been established as Gholamreza and Ali Tahouneh.
Gholamreza Tahouneh and his younger brother, Ali who were native to the village of Chichakli, Bostan Abad county, and residents of Lahijan town in Tabriz, had been arrested and sentenced to death more than five years ago.
An informed source said: "On Tuesday, August 4, these two prisoners were transferred from Ward 11 of Tabriz Prison to solitary confinement in preparation for the execution of their sentences. Finally, the defendants were returned to their cells after insisting and begging the victim’s family for a two-month extension. However, their death sentences were carried out at Tabriz Prison at 9 am on Thursday, August 6, in what has been deemed a disagreement with the victim’s family or over the extension.”
At the time of publication, the brothers’ execution has not been announced by domestic media or officials in Iran.
According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 225 of the 280 of those executed in 2019 were charged with "premeditated murder."
As there are no legal distinctions made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary in Iran, those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.