KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – An Iranian rights watchdog has reported that the Islamic Republic executed five prisoners, including two Afghan citizens in Yazd city on Monday, August 19.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which monitors human rights abuses in Iran, said in a statement that the individuals were sentenced to death on drug and murder charges in the city’s central prison.
While one of the Afghan nationals was convicted of murder, charges against the other were under investigation, Hengaw said. Their identity was not immediately revealed.
The three other prisoners were Iranian Balochs, Hengaw added.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, one of the countries with the highest rates of capital punishment in the world, has executed hundreds of people, including foreign nationals, in recent years for a variety of crimes, including drug offenses, national security concerns, and participation in anti-government protests.
The precise number of Afghan citizens executed annually in Iran remains uncertain, as the Islamic Republic largely carries out execution orders secretly. However, in August, Iranian rights groups reported that the country had executed 20 Afghan nationals during the last seven months.
Human rights organizations have criticized the Iranian government for conducting such executions, arguing that these actions violate international laws and the right to life.
Amnesty International says the death penalty, without exception, constitutes a violation of the right to life as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
