Massoud Sasani and Saeed Nasiri Executed in Karaj

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Karaj Penitentiary on 10 June. Their identities have been established as Massoud Sasani and Saeed Nasiri who were both around 37 years old and from the village of Darvan in Karaj. They were sentenced to death for drug-related charges in the same case.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “Prison officials took Massoud and Saeed from their wards to the on-duty guard’s office under the pretence that they were going to see the Prosecutor about amnesty. Once there, they were handcuffed and shackled, and transferred to solitary confinement. They were ultimately executed on Saturday morning.”

“Three or four other drug death row prisoners are currently in the solitary confinement cells of the Penitentiary and may be executed at any moment,” the source added.

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).

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.