Another Blow from Iran… More than 3000 Afghans Facing Execution

An Afghan parliamentary delegation, that recently visited the Islamic Republic, has reported that over 3000 Afghans there are awaiting their execution.

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This delegation had recently been to Iran on ‘an assessment mission’ of conditions of Afghan immigrants there. The delegation constituted of Amanullah Paiman (Deputy Speaker), Abdul Sattar Khawasi (Parliamentary Secretary), and Taj Muhammad Mujahid (Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Fight against Narcotics.)

Reporting back to the 249 member lower house of the bicameral parliament, Mr. Mujahid stated, “They (Officials of the Iranian Supreme Court) have provided us these figures that in 5630 Afghans are in Iranian prisons and from them more than 3000 of them have been sentenced to death on the basis of final verdicts of the Supreme Court.” Mr. Mujahid clarified that most of these people are have been arrested and sentenced to death on charges of drug trafficking.

Chairman of Parliamentary Committee on Fight against Narcotics said, “A large number of these people have pleaded with evidences and witnesses that they are the poor and common man and only had been hired for carrying Narcotics from one locality to another.”

Mr. Mujahid said that these unlucky people include young men and old and the poor who have committed this act for solving their daily economic problems.

Iran serves as the pathway for drug trafficking to the Middle East and Europe but part of the travelling drugs also get utilized in Iran.

In an open session of Parliament which was attended by the Minister of Law and the Deputy to Foreign Minister, Younis Qanoni, Speaker of the Parliament, emphasized on ensuring the return of these people to Afghanistan. Mr. Qanoni said, “The Ministry of Law should get ready and at any cost, present a budget, and in case these prisoners are brought back, they should be looked after”. However, Habibullah Ghalib, the Law Minister said that the Ministry doesn’t have enough space, facilities and money for such large numbers of prisoners though the responsibility of keeping prisoners is the sole duty of Ministry of Law in Afghanistan.

Mr. Ghalib added that the regarding the affair of prisoners sentenced to death, there hasn’t been any agreement signed between Afghanistan and Iran.

Iran is one of the notorious countries for capital punishments like Saudi Arabia. It has been the home of millions of Afghan Refugees ever since the invasion of Afghanistan by USSR and subsequent civil conflict.