IRAN: 12 EXECUTED ON DRUG CHARGES
January 11, 2019: Twelve imprisoned drug offenders on 6 December 2018 were executed in the Central Prison of Kerman, South-Eastern Iran. This is the highest number of drug-related executions in one day since the new amendments to the Anti-Narcotics Law were enforced in November 2017. According to the IHR sources, on the morning of 6 December at least 12 prisoners were hanged at Kerman prison, all of whom had been sentenced to death for drug-related charges. Three of the prisoners were identified as Ali Deyhim (or Deyhi), Majid Shiki and Reza Ouhadi, charged with possession of 700 Kg opium, 1700 Kg opium, and 14 Kg Heroin respectively. Local sources identified two other men as Jalil, son of Khodabakhs and Yousef, son of Jalaloddin. “These people were at the prison for several years. One of them had spent 15 years in jail. Another one was sentenced to life imprisonment. He had been given a prison furlough and was charged with possession of drugs while he was on furlough and sentenced to death,” a well-known source told IHR, “their death sentences were upheld even after the case were reviewed under the new law.” The identities of four other executed prisoners were revealed by other rights groups as “Abdolghani Ghalandarzehi, Yaghoub Ghalandarzehi; and two brothers with the surname of Shahzehi”, all from the Province of Baluchistan. Three of the prisoners executed on 6 December have not been identified yet. None of the executions was announced by the Iranian authorities. (Source: Iran Human Rights, 04/01/2019)
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