IRAN: 12 PRISONERS HANGED ON DRUG CHARGES

According to close sources, 12 prisoners were executed in Karaj Central Prison early morning, Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported. Close sources have identified nine of the prisoners who were executed this morning: 
Alireza Madadpour, Bahman Rezaei, Arman Bahrami, Alireza Asadi, Mohsen Eslami, Hossein Bahrami, Mehdi Rostami, Amir Sarkhah and Alireza Sarkhah". All the prisoners were reportedly sentenced to death for drug related offences. The death sentences were carried out despite an urgent call by Ahmed Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, to halt the executions. During the past two years several high ranking Iranian officials have admitted that executions have not deterred drug crimes in Iran. But still, Iranian authorities continue the execution of hundreds every year for such charges.