Iranian authorities executed four persons on Wednesday for their involvement in selling contaminated bootleg alcohol that led to the deaths of 17 people last year.
The executions took place at Karaj Central Prison, as confirmed by the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
The four defendants had been sentenced to death in September 2023 after being found guilty of distributing the tainted alcohol, which not only claimed lives but also resulted in over 190 hospitalisations in the province of Alborz, located west of Tehran.
Al Arabiya News reports that Iran ranks second globally in annual executions, following China, as noted by human rights organisations like Amnesty International.
Following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran imposed a ban on the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
This prohibition has led to a surge in bootleg alcohol sales on the black market, where toxic methanol is sometimes mixed with natural ethanol, resulting in mass poisonings.
Recently, Iranian media highlighted a case in northern Iran that claimed the lives of approximately 40 people over the past few months. In connection with these poisonings, five individuals have been arrested, with four facing capital charges, according to Mizan News.
In Iran, only recognised Christian minorities, such as the Armenian community, are permitted to produce and consume alcohol, albeit discreetly and behind closed doors to avoid offending Islamic norms.
