Four men and two women sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, are at imminent risk of execution at Shiraz Central Prison. Informed sources told IHR that their cases have been sent to the Sentence Enforcement Unit and are expected to be sent to the gallows soon.
According to Iran Human Rights, four men and two women are currently at imminent risk of execution in Shiraz Central Prison. All six were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder in separate cases and their victims’ families have refused to forgo their right to retribution.
Informed sources told IHR that their cases have been sent to the Sentence Enforcement Unit and they would probably be transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions in the coming days or weeks.
The names of the prisoners are:
Ali Akbar Alizadeh; Son of Ali
Ali Akbar Nemati; Son of Hossein
Mohammad Harrar Heydari; Son of Mohammadreza
Ruhollah Soleimani; Son of Alinaz
Roghiyeh Zare; Daughter of Abdulrahman
Azar Jokar; Daughter of Ali
Qisas or retribution-in-kind was retained for “premeditated murder” in the 2013 Islamic Penal Code. No legal distinction is made between murder and manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary, those charged under the umbrella term of “premeditated murder” will receive the death penalty regardless of intent and the circumstances.
However, the responsibility for qisas is placed on the victim’s family by the state. They can choose retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness. In 2020, at least 662 people sentenced to qisas for murder, were forgiven by their victim’s family (either by accepting diya or forgiveness), compared to 374 in 2019.
Additionally, the victim’s next of kin must be present at the scene of execution and they are encouraged to carry out the actual execution themselves. On March 15, IHR reported that a daughter had carried out the execution of her own mother.
Qisas death sentences are also imposed for juvenile offenders as according to Sharia, the age of criminal responsibility for girls is 9 and for boys 15 lunar years (8.5 years and 15 years). Furthermore, under the IPC, the death penalty is generally subject to discriminatory application based on gender, ethnicity and religion.
In addition to the inequality of citizens before the law, there are numerous reports of violations of due process in qisas cases. Examples include the use of torture to extract confessions and summary trials without sufficient time to conduct independent investigation of the evidence.
According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 211 of the 267 people executed in 2020 were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for “premeditated murder.”
Source » iranhr