3 Prisoners Transferred for Execution in Urmia Central Prison

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were transferred to solitary confinement in Urmia Central Prison on July 16. Their identities have been established as Babak Aslani, Mohsen Asl-Hosseini and Meysam (surname unknown) and they are all on death row for murder.

All three men are Urmia natives and were arrested around eight years ago.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Network which first reported the news, their transfer was met with tensions and clashes in the prison’s dormitory 1 and 2.

According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 211 of the 267 people executed in 2020 were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for "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.