Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); July 4, 2023: State media have reported the execution of three unnamed men for rape charges in Bandarabbas Central Prison.
According to the Judiciary’s Mizan news agency, three men were executed in Bandarabbas Central Prison on 4 July. Quoting Mojtaba Ghahremani, the Hormozgan Chief Justice, the report states that the three unnamed men were sentenced to death for rape charges.
The three men who all worked for a beauty business, are alleged to have committed the rape when the clients were under anaesthesia. One is reported to have been a technician and doctor’s assistant and the other two nurses.
In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. Iran is one of the few countries in the world to still carry out rape executions.
According to the 2022 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 23 people were executed for rape charges in 2022 compared to 10 in 2021 and 12 in 2020. With today’s executions, seven people have so far been executed for rape charges in 2023.