Reflections on the execution of a person in Mashhad for drinking alcohol | Amnesty International: Iran's judicial system is "cruel and inhumane"
The execution of a man in Mashhad Central Prison on charges of drinking alcohol has received widespread attention and has been criticized by publications in some countries, including Israel, as well as by the international organization Amnesty International.
The Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday, July 10, that Iran has executed a man for drinking alcohol, one of 123 executions carried out by the Iranian regime in the past six months, despite warnings that the sentence would be carried out.
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 the principles of Islamic Sharia law, and according to these principles, if a person commits a crime punishable by hadd again after three times of execution, he is entitled to execution.
In its report, the Jerusalem Post quoted Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, head of the non-governmental organization "Iranian Human Rights," as saying: "With this execution, the Islamic Republic has once again proven that it is no different from ISIS."
According to the report, although executions for drinking alcohol are rare in Iran, most executions are carried out behind closed doors and are not announced by the authorities.
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 ago in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.
In a report published on Friday, the human rights organization quoted Diana Al-Tahawi, deputy director of its Middle East and North Africa division, as saying: "By executing a person who had consumed alcohol, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have once again exposed the cruelty and inhumanity of their judicial system."
The Amnesty International official added that the organization is disgusted by the Iranian authorities' continued use of the death penalty, which has made them the second-highest executioner in the world.
According to a study conducted by the Iranian Human Rights Organization, 123 people have been executed so far this year, an increase of about 10 percent compared to the same period in 2019. However, the report says that the number of executions is likely higher.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has the second highest execution rate in the world, after China. The high rate of executions in Iran has been repeatedly criticized by human rights defenders, and a number of civil society activists, including Narges Mohammadi, have been sentenced to prison for protesting the use of death sentences in Iran.
Source: Voice of America
