Saturday, April 9, 2016 1:16:15 PM

On April 9, Iranian authorities executed five prisoners in Lakan prison in Rasht, Gilan Province of northern Iran, today, reliable sources said.

Rashid Koohi, Seyed Javad Mirzadeh and Hussein Farhadi were three of the dead prisoners; they were sentenced to death on alleged charges of drug-related crimes.

Rashid Koohi was arrested for possessing drugs (800 g of Crystal Meth) in his bag and sentenced to the death penalty by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Iran.

Rashid had not received adequate legal assistance to submit an appeal for retrial to Iran's Supreme Court. His relatives received a call from prison officials yesterday to have a final meeting with him before the execution.

"The Iranian authorities must halt the execution of Rashid Kouhi immediately. The use of the death penalty for drug-related offences is a blatant violation of international human rights law. Instead of stepping up their rampant execution spree the Iranian authorities must take steps to abolish this ultimate cruel and inhuman punishment", Amnesty International stated on 7 April 2016.

By: Kaveh Taheri