An Afghan prisoner, Nawab Popalzai, was executed in Iran without his family being informed beforehand or given the opportunity to have a final meeting, a rights group reported on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old, from Farah province in Afghanistan, was convicted on drug-related charges after his arrest two years ago in Zahedan. The execution took place in Bandar Abbas prison, where authorities failed to notify his family or provide them with any prior warning, violating Iran’s legal requirements. Iranian law mandates that authorities inform defence lawyers at least 48 hours before an execution and allow prisoners to meet with their families one last time. However, human rights organisations, including Halvash, have repeatedly accused Iran of disregarding these legal rights.
This execution is part of a broader trend of increasing state-sanctioned killings. According to Hengaw, an independent monitoring group, Iran has executed approximately 800 people in less than eight months, including at least 46 Afghan nationals.
This execution has added fuel to an international firestorm regarding Iran’s human rights violations. In a report by Hengaw, it was revealed that, during June, 99 individuals had been executed, including 10 Afghans, triggering widespread condemnation from governments and rights organisations around the world. The case of Sara Gowhari, a female Afghan researcher detained by Iranian authorities in July, further deepened global outrage after she too was executed while in custody.
These executions, often carried out without transparency or adherence to proper legal processes, have sparked an urgent call for accountability from the international community.
