Nasir Jabari at Risk of Execution in Rasht

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a death row prisoner was transferred to solitary confinement in Rasht Central Prison on 15 April. His identity has been established as 40-year-old Nasir Jabari from Sari who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Nasir Jabari was arrested for the murder of his friend during a financial dispute around three years ago. He will be executed in the next two days if he cannot obtain an extension from the plaintiffs in the case.”

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

In 2023, at least 282 people including two juvenile offenders and 15 women, were executed for murder charges, the second highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Only 20% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2023, Iran Human Rights also recorded 857 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions.