Iran Executes Ahmad Alizadeh Despite Previous Halt

Ahmad Alizadeh, a 26-year-old Iranian man, was executed for the second time after a previous attempt in April was halted when the victim's family granted forgiveness under Iran's sharia law, which allows for such interventions. Despite his denials and claims of being tortured into confessing to murder, Alizadeh's execution was resumed due to the absence of a blood money agreement with the victim's family. Human rights organizations, including Iran Human Rights (IHR), have condemned the execution, highlighting it as part of Iran's broader use of the death penalty to instill fear and control, especially post-2022 protests. October 2024 saw at least 166 executions, marking a significant surge and the highest monthly record since IHR began tracking. Iran is reported to conduct more executions annually than any country besides China, drawing criticism from international bodies like Amnesty International.