Four Men Executed for Murder in Urmia Central Prison

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men were executed in Urmia Central Prison on 31 December 2021. Sentenced to qisas for murder, their identities have been established as Moghaddam Alizadeh, Hamdollah Ghanbari, Feiz Allahmoradi and Hossein Abbaszadeh.

The four men were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions from Wards 1 and 2 of the prison as part of a group of five on December 29. The fifth man was returned to his cell after obtaining a last minute extension from his victim’s family.

At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

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.

Hamdollah Ghanbari (pictured):