IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS (15 DEC 2016): Six prisoners were executed for drug charges in Karaj (west of Tehran) Thursday morning Dcember 15.
According to Iran Human Rights (IHR) sources, five of the prisoners were hanged in the Central Prison of Karaj. The prisoners are identified as Behzad Lazemi, Mostafa Gholami, Fardin Sabzi, Mehdi Kaeni and Saeed Faramarzi from the sections 4, 5, 2, 3 and 3 respectively.
On Wednesday IHR reported about the transfer of four of these prisoners for execution.
The website of the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported about the execution of one prisoner on Wednesday December 14. The prisoner who was identified as Mohammad Hossein Beheshti was charged with possession of drugs.
A source close to Mohammad Hossein said that besides being sentenced to death for drug offences, he had also been held in Rajaishahr prison for 23 years charged with murder. But the execution was for his drug charges.
Drug related executions continue in Iran despite the fact that the Iranian Parliament recently passed a law with the aim of limiting the use of the death penalty for drug charges. The law has to be approved by the Guardian Council and it is not clear whether t will actually lead to a reduction in the number f drug related executions.