Execution of Man in Mashhad for Drinking Alcohol Sparks Backlash | Amnesty International: Iran’s Judicial System is ‘Cruel and Inhumane’
The execution of a man in Mashhad Central Prison on charges of consuming alcoholic beverages has sparked significant reactions and, in addition to publications by some countries including Israel, has been criticized by the international organization Amnesty International.
The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported on Friday, July 20, that despite warnings about implementing this sentence, Iran executed a man for drinking alcohol. The execution of this man was one of 123 death sentences carried out by the Iranian regime in the past six months.
The newspaper, noting that the death sentence was issued for “drinking alcohol for the sixth time,” recalled that the penal code in the Islamic Republic is based on Islamic Sharia principles, and according to these principles, if a person commits a crime subject to discretionary punishment after three previous discretionary punishments, they are liable to execution.
Jerusalem Post cited statements from Mahmoud Amiri Moghaddam, head of the non-governmental organization “Iran Human Rights,” who said: “The Islamic Republic once again proved with this execution that it is no different from ISIS.”
According to this report, although execution for drinking alcohol is a rare occurrence in Iran, most executions are carried out behind closed doors and authorities do not announce them.
Amnesty International’s Response
Amnesty International also condemned the execution of a man in Mashhad on charges of drinking alcohol, which took place two days earlier in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
In a report released by the human rights organization on Friday, quoting Diana El-Tahawi, Deputy Director of its Middle East and North Africa division, it stated: “By executing an individual who had consumed alcohol, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again laid bare the cruel and inhumane nature of their judicial system.”
This Amnesty International official added that the organization expresses abhorrence at the continuation of death sentences carried out by Iranian authorities, which has resulted in Iran obtaining the second-highest number of executions in the world.
According to research conducted by the Iran Human Rights organization, 123 people have been executed so far in the current calendar year, which represents approximately a 10 percent increase compared to the same period in 2019. However, the report suggests that the actual number of executions is likely higher than this figure.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, after China, is the second country with the highest rate of executions in the world. The high rate of executions in Iran has been repeatedly criticized by human rights defenders, and several civil activists, including Narges Mohammadi, have been imprisoned for protesting the implementation of death sentences in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
