12 Prisoners Executed in Zahedan Prison

12 prisoners convicted of various crimes, including drug-related offenses, have been executed in Zahedan. Iranian human rights activists have warned about the high rate of death penalties in Iran, stating that Iran’s judicial system does not disclose the actual number of executions.

Hrana news agency, the news organization of a coalition of human rights activists in Iran, reported the execution of 12 prisoners in Zahedan prison. These inmates were executed on the morning of Monday, June 6. According to Hrana’s report, most of these prisoners were sentenced to death for charges related to drug trafficking.

Hrana, citing the annual report of the Statistics, Publishing and Works Center of the coalition of human rights activists in Iran, reported on the high rate of death penalties in Iran and stated that more than 88 percent of executions carried out in Iran are not announced by the government or judicial institutions, and human rights organizations speak of “secret” executions in Iran.

Based on a report released by Amnesty International about two weeks ago, Iran ranks second after China and is among countries with a concerning increase in the number of executions. According to this report, 314 people were executed in the country last year, which was the highest figure since 2017. Most of those executed had been arrested in connection with drug trafficking. The number of executions in Iran in 2020 was 246 cases.