Iran's Authorities Executed at Least 279 Citizens in 2016 So Far

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 8:04:46 AM

"Iran has proved that its sickening enthusiasm for putting juveniles to death, in contravention of international law, knows no bounds". Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director said in a comment about the country.

Rights groups reported that at least 279 executions have been carried out since the beginning of 2016.

At least 27 individuals were hanged by gallows in the provinces of Gilan, South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, Alborz and West Azerbaijan on March to April, reports HRANA. The number of executions astonishingly increased by hanging at least 70 citizens in the provinces of Ardabil, Alborz, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Razavi Khorasan, Qazvin, Kermanshah, Yazd, Sistan and Baluchistan, Gilan, Mazandaran, Hormozgan, Kuhgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Hamadan on April to May, according to human rights groups.

Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Mostafa Pourmohammadi said that "We are proud that we heard the decrees of God against Moharebs (mentioning 1988 Massacre also known as "Bloody Summer)*, according to IRI media. Ahmad Jannati, Shi'i cleric and a founding member of Haghani School, also supports 1988 Massacre by remarking: "They had to be executed for empowerment of Islamic Republic of Iran."* Accordingly, 100 Iranian activists wrote joint letter to ICC asking to recognize the 1988 Massacre as "crime against humanity".

In May to June, Iran's authorities hanged at least 36 persons in the provinces of Hormozgan, Qazvin, Tehran, Mazandaran, Alborz, Razavi Khorasan, Kuhgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, and Fars rights groups confirmed. Authorities continued executions with total number of death penalties 39 in the provinces West Azerbaijan, Gilan, Markazi, Alborz and South Khorasan in June to July. Iran's regime has executed at least 107 people in 12 provinces across the country in July-August.

At least 20 Kurdish men were hanged at Rajai Shahr prison on August 2 which is named as "Black Monday"

by the prominent human rights activist Moustafa Rahmani.

At least 160 individuals are on death row in prisons across Iran for crimes allegedly committed when they were under 18. Some of them under the age of 18 currently await execution in the country. 4,500 inmates, on death row, are in an undecided situation, an MP says. 52 inmates are on death row in Great Tehran prison. 90% of executions belong to drugs-related crimes, the head of Human Rights Council in the Judiciary says.

Death penalty has lost its deterrent effect in the society in Iran, and MP says.

Officials have frequently announced that executions have lost its deterrent effect in the society, however, capital punishment has not been so far removed from Islamic Penal Code.

Majority of executions confined to three countries

"Of all executions recorded in 2015, 89% were carried out in just three countries: Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan ranked among the top five executioners for the first time since 2008. The Middle East and North Africa region accounted for the vast majority of all recorded executions thanks largely to Iran and Saudi Arabia. For the second year in a row, both countries carried out the highest number of executions in the region", according to Amnesty International. Iran continued to execute juvenile offenders - those aged under 18 at the time of the alleged crime - in violation of international law, AI added.

Iran's regime had shockingly slathered thousands of activists and dissidents estimated up to 30,000 executions in the summer of 1988.
Ahmad Jannati Massah is a hardline Iranian politician, Shi'i cleric and a founding member of Haghani School. He is the conservative chairman of the Assembly of Experts, the body charged with choosing the Supreme Leader; and also chairman of the Guardian Council, the body in charge of checking legislation approved by Majlis with the Constitution and sharia, and approving the candidates in various elections. He is also a temporary Friday prayer imam of Tehran. His son Hossein Jannati was a member of People's Mujahedin of Iran and was killed in a street battle by the Islamic Republic security forces in 1981. He is also father of Ali Jannati, the current culture minister of Iran. Wikipedia.

Follow Kaveh Taheri on Twitter: @TaheriKaveh