Javad Larijani’s Admission to Ineffective Death Penalties for Drug Traffickers
Int.'l Campaign for Human Rights in Iran
05-Jan-2011

While the number of executions related to drug trafficking has startlingly increased in the recent months in Iran, a foreign diplomat told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that Javad Larijani, Chief of the Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Council, has expressed in his meetings with foreign authorities that the policy of executing drug-related criminals has been unsuccessful, and that capital punishment has not reduced drug-related social maladies.

According to the diplomat, Larijani also confirmed the executions in Mashad’s Vakilabad Prison, but claimed that the number of executions is “less than what has been reported.” Using reliable sources, the Campaign has published news about secret executions in Mashad. The executions have taken place regularly over the past year inside Vakilabad Prison.

The lack of attention paid by Iranian authorities to the economic and social roots of drug use and distribution, and the widespread executions of the past several decades have not been successful and the Campaign fears a further increase in secret executions that violate judicial principles.

Informed sources told the Campaign that the last round of group executions, unannounced by the Iranian Judiciary, took place on 20 December where 10 prisoners were executed.

Previously, the Campaign published news of two group executions which took place on 5 October and 12 October 2010 inside Vakilabad Prison. On the two dates, a total of ... >>>

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