Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Several men including Afghan nationals who are predominantely on death row for murder, are at imminent risk of execution after being transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells of Ghezelhesar Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, several men have been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions in Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj. The majority of the men have been sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder and some are Afghan nationals.
This group of men are scheduled to be hanged in the coming hours.
Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness. Crucially, while an indicative amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money.
In 2023, at least 282 people including two juvenile offenders and 15 women, were executed for murder charges, the second highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 20% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2023, Iran Human Rights also recorded 857 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.
