KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – An Iranian human rights organization reports that the Islamic Republic executed two Afghan nationals convicted of drug-related offenses and premeditated murder over the past two days.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, which monitors rights abuses in Iran, disclosed in a statement that Afghan citizen Jasim Jahantigh was executed for drug-related offenses in Jiroft Central Prison on Thursday, December 26.
In a separate statement, the rights group revealed that an Afghan national, Kateb Seydnian, convicted of premeditated murder, was executed in Adelabad Central Prison in Shiraz on Wednesday, December 25.
According to the rights group, Kateb Seydnian had been detained for three years on murder charges before being sentenced to death by the Iranian Judiciary.
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 various crimes, such as drug offenses, national security concerns, and participation in anti-government protests.
The Islamic Republic has reportedly executed at least 883 people in 2024, including 26 women and 18 individuals under the age of 18. In October alone, the country executed 166 people, including 13 Afghan nationals, marking the highest monthly execution rate in the past two decades.
The Iranian government does not disclose the number of Afghan nationals it executes. However, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), another Iranian rights group, recently reported a growing trend of executions involving Afghan nationals since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
According to the report, Iran executed 16 Afghan citizens in 2022, including a minor and a woman. This number increased to 25 in 2023. Alarmingly, the pace has quickened, with at least 71 Afghan citizens executed so far this year.
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.
