By Jubin Katiraie
The Iranian authorities executed a prisoner in Kashan Prison on Wednesday, 3 July, a judicial authority said.
Rouhollah Dehqani, the Kashan’s prosecutor’s deputy for criminal affairs, said the victim was sentenced to Qisas (punishment of retribution) on a murder charge.
According to an informed source, the name of this prisoner was Majid Sadr, who was taken from the 5th section of Kashan prison for execution. Sadr, a resident of Ravand Kashan, had a wife and an infant child. Sadr was innocent and was forced under torture to confess to the murder of a woman, the source added.
Iran is the global record-holder of executions per capita. Iranian authorities also have a track record of extracting forced confessions from prisoners and using those confessions to dole out harsh punishments.
According to dissidents, the Iranian authorities use the death penalty as a tool to suppress and silence a disgruntled society, the majority of whom live under the poverty line, are unemployed and deprived of freedom of speech.
