More covert mass executions in Iranian prison

Following recent reports of mass executions in Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison, ten more prisoners were reportedly executed at this Prison last Tuesday.

According to the International Human Rights Committee in Iran, ten prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison for drug-related charges.

The committee reports that the ten inmates were executed “together without any official announcements from the government, without notification to their lawyers or family and without even informing the prisoners prior to the execution.”

The report adds that one of the prisoners executed on Tuesday was a Nigerian national. According to earlier reports, a number of Afghans and one Ghanaian national were also amongst the people executed at this Iranian prison.

The International Human Rights Committee reports that the mass executions have “was carried out by Special Guards officials in the presence of Mashhad prosecutor and his deputy, Vakilabad prison warden, head of prison security, prison judge as well as former and current police commanders of Naja town.”

The International Human Rights Committee reported two other mass executions in October; first a group of thirteen and then another group ten prisoners were executed in Vakilabad under similar circumstances.

A political prisoner reported in September that in the past year 500 prisoners were executed in Vakilabad Prison without proper notification and announcement.

The Islamic Republic only trails China in the number of annual executions, and charges ranging from murder, drug dealing, rape and enmity with God are amongst the charges that carry the death penalty in Iran.