Mohammad Vali Jabari Executed in Isfahan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd) on 23 September. His identity has been established as 35-year-old Mohammad Vali Jabari who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Informed sources told Iran Human Rights that Mohammad Vali was arrested around two years ago. He was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution on 21 September and executed two days later.

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

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. At least 206 people were executed for drug-related charges in the first six months of 2023, a 126% rise compared to the same period in 2022 when 91 were executed. 40 people were executed in the same period in 2021.

The number of drug executions dramatically dropped in 2018 following a 2017 Amendment to the Anti-Narcotics Laws. Consequently, drug executions ranged between 24-30 per annum between 2018-2020. The Amendment was reversed in practice in 2021 when executions increased ten-fold to 126 in 2021 and doubled again in 2022 with 256 drug-related executions. On 13 February 2023, IHRNGO reported a 94% rise in the number of drug-related executions in the year following the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in September 2022.