The Iran Human Rights Organization said that seven men were executed on Wednesday morning in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran. Four were found guilty of premeditated murder, and the remaining three, including one Afghan citizen, were executed for drug-related offenses. Separately, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that two more Afghan nationals had been executed at Choobindar Prison in Qazvin Province. The victims were identified as Wasim Ahmad, 40, and Rabih Shah-Murad, around 27. They were detained three years ago in a joint narcotics case and later sentenced to death. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that killings of Afghan detainees had escalated considerably after the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. The group has previously stated that at least 80 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iran in 2024 alone.

Amnesty International has also expressed concern over Iran’s use of capital penalty. According to the group’s most recent report, Iran executed at least 972 people in 2023, up 119 over the previous year. Human rights organizations have long criticized Iran’s judicial system for a lack of openness, inadequate legal protections for defendants, and disproportionate application of the death penalty, notably in drug-related cases.

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