2 Unidentified Afghan Men Executed in Karaj

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two Afghan men were executed in Karaj Penitentiary on 23 December. There is no information about their identities and charges.

An informed source told Iran Human Rights: “The two Afghan nationals were transferred to solitary confinement on 21 December. A man named Akbar Nemati who’s been sentenced to death for murder was also transferred with them but returned to his cell after obtaining a 15-day extension in his case.”

At the time of writing, neither of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

It is important to note that Afghan nationals constitute the largest group of non-Iranian executions and death row cases in Iranian prisons. In 2021, no execution of Afghan nationals was recorded until September, when five men were executed in the space of 35 days. On 10 October 2021, Iran Human Rights expressed its concern that the Taliban takeover in August had facilitated the execution of Afghan nationals. That number more than tripled in 2022, with 16 Afghan nationals including a juvenile offender and a woman executed. At least 21 Afghans have been executed in 2023 so far.