Alireza Arezoumandi and Samir Saeedirad Executed in Qom

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Qom Central Prison on 26 May. Their identities have been established as 23-year-old Alireza Arezoumandi and 35-year-old Samir Saeedirad (Hamid).

Alireza Arezoumandi was from the village of Arezoumand in Markazi province and was arrested for murder charges around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind). Samir Saeedirad from Arak, was arrested for drug-related offences five years ago.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020.

On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”