Iran Human Rights (IHR); December 20, 2020: Three prisoners sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, have been executed at Rajai Shahr Prison.
According to Rokna, three male prisoners were executed at Rajai Shahr Prison on December 16. The report does not specify the exact identities of the three men, only that they had been on death row for murder in separate cases.
The first prisoner, known only as Mehdi, had been arrested on 13 August 2013 for the murder of his brother and sentenced to death. The murder took place in a fruit shop in the bazaar after the two brothers got into an argument over their inheritance.
Mehdi had previously gone as far as the gallows in 2018 but had managed to buy time at the last minute.
The second prisoner, known only as Arastou, was arrested on charges of killing his landlord on 24 May 2018.
Meysam, the third prisoner, was sentenced to death on 24 November 2015 for murdering his wife and child.
An informed source told Iran Human Rights that the three men had probably been transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison for the implementation of their sentences from other prisons.
According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report, at least 225 of the 280 of those executed in 2019 were charged with "premeditated murder."
As there are no legal distinctions made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary in Iran, those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.