Houshang Amirzadeh Executed in Qazvin

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Qazvin Central Prison on 8 June. His identity has been established as Houshang Amirzadeh who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source previously told Iran Human Rights that Houshang was arrested for drug-related charges around three years ago.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Mokhtar Sadeghi, a man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder who was transferred for execution with Houshang, has been returned to the general ward after obtaining an extension in his case.

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).

On 1 June, Iran Human Rights reported at least 307 executions in 2023. May was also reported as the most bloody month in ten years, with at least 142 executions.