Hajar Atabaki Second Woman Executed in January

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a woman was executed in Qazvin Central Prison on 20 January. Her identity has been established as 41-year-old Hajar Atabaki from Tabriz.

Informed sources told IHRNGO that Hajar was a mother of one who had separated from her husband in 2018. She was arrested for drug-related charges around two and a half years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary court.

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 305 people were executed for drug-related charges between 1 January-10 October 2023, a 69% increase compared to the same period in 2022, and the number of drug-related executions in 2023 were close to 20 times higher than 2020.

Iran is the biggest executioner of women. In 2023, at least 22 women were executed for drug-related, murder and security-related charges in Iran. Hajar is the second woman to be executed in January 2024.