Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 21, 2024: State media reported the execution of an unnamed man for rape and sexual assault charges at an unspecified prison in Yazd.
According to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency and quoting Hossein Tahmasebi, the Yazd province head of judiciary, a man was executed at an unspecified prison at an unspecified date.
The man was arrested for rape and sexual assault charges around five years ago and sentenced to death.
Hossein Tahmasebi said: “The individual raped multiple girls and women after luring them as a fortune teller who claimed to be a person who writes prayers.”
In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. In Iran is one of the few countries in the world that issues the death penalty for rape. A lot of cases are also rushed without the defendants having access to a lawyer.
According to the 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 20 people were executed for rape charges in 2022 compared to 23 in 2022 and 10 in 2021.