Three men hanged in Iran over drug trafficking charges: Judiciary

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Sunday hanged three men convicted of drug trafficking charges, the country’s judiciary said, days after rights watchdogs warned of the increase in executions carried out by Tehran. 

The three men, identified as Shahab Mansour Nasan, Samad Garavand, and Saaed Garavand were hanged after being charged with “corruption on earth” for producing 39 kilograms of heroin, the judiciary’s Mizan online reported.

Sunday’s execution comes a day after a man was hanged after being convicted of charges related to human trafficking and prostitution. On Friday, three men were executed for their involvement in the wave of nationwide protests at the end of last year. 

Amnesty International on Wednesday urged the international community to take "bold" action to prevent their execution, saying their "fast-tracked" trials were a "brazen disregard for the rights to life" and the verdicts a "blatant act of vengeance" against those who stood up to the regime during the Zhina (Mahsa) Amini protests.

Iran executed at least 576 people last year, a significant increase from 314 in 2021, making it the country with the second highest rate of known executions during 2022, according to the annual report from Amnesty International. This year, after last fall's widespread demonstrations and a crackdown on the drug trade, Iran has carried out an alarming number of executions.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) earlier this month also condemned what it called a “dramatic escalation of executions” in Iran, while the UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that Iran has been carrying out “frighteningly high number of executions,” numbering to more than 10 on a weekly basis.