The death sentences of five men and one woman were carried out on Saturday and Sunday in Tabriz Central Prison for charges related to drug offenses and premeditated murder.
According to the Campaign for the Defense of Political and Civil Prisoners, on the morning of Saturday, October 19, 2024, two male prisoners named Behzad Ghaffari (40 years old) and Javad Ebrahimi (35 years old) were executed in Tabriz Central Prison. They had both been sentenced to death in a joint case for “drug offenses.”
On Sunday, October 20, 2024, three men and one woman were also executed in the same prison. The identity of the executed woman has been confirmed as Firoozi (first name unclear), who had been sentenced to death for the “premeditated murder” of her husband.
Two other men, identified as Hassan Yousefi and Siamak Molaei (45 years old), were sentenced to retribution for “premeditated murder” in a joint case.
Mohammad Amin Nourafkan (38 years old), the fourth prisoner executed on Sunday, had been sentenced to death for “drug offenses.”
A source familiar with these executions told the Iran Human Rights Organization: “Behzad Ghaffari and Javad Ebrahimi were from Tabriz and were arrested three years ago for drug trafficking and sentenced to death.”
The source added: “Hassan Yousefi and Siamak Molaei were arrested four years ago for murder and sentenced to retribution. Mohammad Amin Nourafkan was a father of one child and had been arrested two years ago on drug-related charges.”
As of the time of this report, the execution of these six prisoners has not been announced by official media inside Iran.
The number of executions related to drug offenses has significantly increased in recent years. In 2023, 471 people were executed on such charges, marking an 84% increase compared to 2022.