Kurdish Shouresh Morovati Executed in Sanandaj

According to the Judiciary’s Mizan news agency, a man was executed in Sanandaj Central Prison on 22 August. His identity has been reported as Gholamreza (Shouresh) Morovati who was sentenced to qisas for murder in the course of an armed robbery.

The Kurdistan province Chief Justice said: “With the Saqqez police’s actions, the defendant was arrested after nine months and sent to prison. The defendant was sentenced to qisas following his trial. This sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court.”

Iran Human Rights previously warned of Shouresh Morovati’s imminent execution.

An informed source previously told Iran Human Rights: “Shouresh Morovati was from Saqqez and arrested for an armed robbery that led to a murder in 2009 and sentenced to qisas for murder. Shouresh was one of the prisoners who escaped during the Saqqez Prison unrest (due to prison authorities not taking measures against Covid-19) in the spring of 2020. He was transferred to Sanadaj Central Prison after being rearrested.”

“Shouresh was subjected to months of torture in the Sanandaj intelligence detention centre, the signs of which are still visible on his body,” the source added.  

Ethnic minorities are grossly overrepresented in execution numbers in Iran.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family, as the plaintiffs, are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.