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The relentless cycle of executions in Iran has claimed dozens more lives after Iranian authorities oversaw a new spate of executions. On August 6, Reza Rasaei, arrested during the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, was executed on charges of murdering Nader Beirami, the head of the IRGC’s intelligence office in Sahneh Town. HRANA reports that on August 7, 22 additional prisoners – including three Afghan nationals – were executed for crimes including murder, drug-related offenses, and rape. The Iranian Human Rights Organization reported 29 executions in total, with 26 in Ghezel Hesar Prison and three in Karaj Central Prison.
Reza Rasaei, a 34-year-old Kurdish political prisoner and member of the Yarsan minority, was arrested on November 24, 2022. He was charged with the premeditated murder of Beirami, an accusation he consistently denied.
Tasnim news agency reported that Hamidreza Karimi, the prosecutor general of Kermanshah, detailed the incident, stating that in November 2022, people in the town of Sahneh held a ceremony that led to unrest. According to Karimi, IRGC intelligence officers intervened to maintain security but were encountered by “thugs and hooligans” in the crowd who attacked the officers, resulting in Beirami’s death.
Karimi added that witnesses described the incident, and videos showed who was present and what weapons they carried. Eventually, several individuals were summoned as informants. Karimi stated that Rasaei, the primary suspect, was identified holding a yellow-handled knife and admitted to stabbing Beirami twice, as verified by the forensic medical expert’s findings. The knife’s characteristics matched the injuries found on Beirami’s body.
The prosecutor noted that four sessions were held in the second branch of the Criminal Court, where forensic experts were invited to testify. The court concluded that the fatal wounds were consistent with a knife with a yellow handle, which witnesses confirmed Rasaei was holding during the crime. Meanwhile, the Dadban Legal Group has stated, based on the text of the verdict, that the forensic medical expert's opinion differed from Mr. Karimi's claim. The court ignored the forensic experts' opinions on the cause of death, its relation to the weapon used, and other related matters, deliberately disregarding them.
Rasaei's case had numerous legal ambiguities, including the use of coerced confessions, disregard of favorable testimony, and lack of consideration of forensic medical expert opinion. Reports also indicate that Rasaei was tortured into confessing, which was used as the primary evidence against him. HRANA noted that the judge's reliance on these coerced confessions significantly contributed to Rasaei's conviction.
Lawyers and human rights activists highlighted these issues, but the Supreme Court rejected the request for a retrial and upheld his death sentence on December 24, 2023. Despite warnings from human rights organizations calling for the execution to be halted, the judiciary news agency Mizan confirmed Rasaei’s execution in Kermanshah’s central prison.
Rasaei was buried under heavy security, with only close family allowed to attend the funeral.
Rasaei’s execution is part of an increase in the use of the death penalty in Iran, with many cases advancing despite credible and widespread allegations of the use of torture to extract false confessions in violation of international law. NIAC strongly condemns these grave abuses by Iran’s judiciary and joins Amnesty International and other human rights organizations in expressing deep concern over the use of capital punishment as a tool for political repression and instilling fear in society.
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