At Least 3 Executed for Drug Charges in Isfahan and Kashan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed in Isfahan Central Prison and Kashan Prison on 1 June. 37-year-old Nematollah Arzani and 30-year-old Rasoul Sheikh Arpanahi (photo) who were sentenced to death for drug-related charges in the same case, were executed in Kashan Prison

On the same day, 30-year-old Aghil Arabi was executed for drug-related charges in Isfahan Central Prison.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “All three prisoners were from the Bakhtiari tribe in Isfahan. Aghil Arabi was behind bars for four years. Nematollah Arzani and Rasoul Sheikh Arpanahi were arrested in the same case in Kashan three years ago.”

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

According to the 2022 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 256 people were executed for drug-related offences in 2022, a more than two-fold increase compared to 2021 (126) and ten times more than 2020 (25).