Six Men Executed for Rape in Gorgan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, six men were executed in Gorgan Prison on the morning of 6 June. Three of them have been identified as Younes Jahantigh, Ali Keykhah and Ali Lakzayi. The identities of the other three men have not been established at the time of writing.

The six men were arrested for the same rape case around three years ago and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.

An informed told Iran Human Rights: “Ali Keykhah was only 18 at the time of arrest and had not taken part in any rape. His crime was to take food for the others.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. In Iran is one of the few countries in the world that issues the death penalty for rape. A lot of cases are also rushed without the defendants having access to a lawyer.

According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 10 people were executed for rape charges in 2021.