Overcoming unemployment is overcoming crime.

Statistics in the past year show a significant increase in the implementation of the death penalty in Iran. It seems that since Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei took office, there has been a strong will within the judicial system to expedite all death sentences. This has prompted the monthly magazine Khat-e-Solh to interview Dr. Nemat Ahmadi, a lawyer and prosecutor, to ask about the reasons behind the increase in executions in the country and the reasons for issuing these harsh and severe sentences. Dr. Ahmadi explains that the main factor behind this increase, in addition to the distinction between capital punishment and retribution in Iran, is related to executions for drug-related charges. He states, “Wherever there is no stable job with even a minimum income, unfortunately, young people who are in need of financial support are often drawn into criminal groups, including those involved in drug trafficking.”

Dr. Ahmadi, who was recently reported to have been dismissed from the Islamic Azad University, also talks about the accused of murder and manslaughter in Iran, saying, “Our society is a nervous society with a low tolerance level. We have a low threshold for murder in Iran and most murders occur in incidents of rage.”

According to this lawyer and former professor of the University of Azad, the better the job opportunities and economic situation in a region, the lower the crime rate in that area.

You can read the detailed conversation of the monthly “Peace Line” magazine with Dr. Nemat Ahmadi, lawyer and prosecutor, in the following.

‌توان دوران ترس و وحشت نامید

We are facing a significant increase in the implementation of the death penalty in Iran. This period can be called a time of fear and terror.“سلام دوست عزیز”

“Hello dear friend”

It is possible to know the post-corona period as well. What do you think is the reason for the implementation of so many death sentences?

The death penalty is not issued overnight. It is a process. We have two types of execution and capital punishment: one is retribution and the other is execution. Retribution is killing in response to killing. We have it in our law, but some other countries do not. Mostly Muslim countries have this law. In this area, the first part of the verse on retribution is referenced, but we do not see the second part which says that there is no pleasure in revenge. This type of deprivation of the right to life is not in the hands of the government, but in the hands of the victim’s or victims’ families. They request retribution and they can also forgive. If they forgive the accused, the judge can sentence them to three to ten years in prison for the public aspect of the crime. In this type of capital punishment, the judiciary is responsible for the implementation of the law. The other type is execution, which is based on the state’s systems, meaning

The process of execution is as follows: after the case is reviewed in the court, it is examined by five judges in the criminal court of the province. The defendant must have a lawyer at this stage. The court of appeals for this execution is the Supreme Court of the country and after the confirmation of the sentence by the court, it requires permission and consent. This consent includes both retribution and execution. This means the permission for the execution of the sentence by the head of the judiciary power.

During Mr. Amoli Larijani’s tenure, for whatever reason, executions were carried out and stay of executions were granted. This means that the cases were left unresolved. With the presence of Mr. Ejei, these cases were resolved. In cases where the sentence is retribution, if the next of kin are not present or do not request the execution, the convicted person will be subject to certain conditions and will be released. At the beginning of the new head of the judiciary, we were faced with a backlog of sentences issued in previous periods that had not been executed. Mr. Ejei came and, for reasons unknown to me, granted permission for the execution of these sentences; meaning that these sentences were not issued in the past year, but rather belonged to previous years and had been halted at the stay of execution stage, which has now been expedited during Mr. Ejei’s tenure.

In your opinion, which group of criminals and suspects are executed more in Iran? Murderers, drug traffickers, or others?

There are narcotics.

It was believed that by reforming the drug laws, the number of executions would decrease. But that didn’t happen. Why?

It is true that executions were supposed to decrease, but still some executions remain. Another point is that we are witnessing a shift in the use of drugs from traditional to industrial. Due to the conditions in the region, the situation in Afghanistan has become clear, and the price of traditional drugs has tripled due to the Taliban’s ban on cultivation and use of traditional drugs. Instead, the use of industrial drugs has become more prevalent. Society has also become inclined towards these drugs due to their availability and smaller size, as well as the ease of production. The amount of punishment for industrial drugs that leads to execution is less than that for traditional drugs, resulting in an increase in the number of addicts. With the increase in supply and demand in this field, the financial circulation has also become much wider. As a result, there are more groups involved with these drugs, and there are more confrontations and sentences issued for those involved in the possession and sale of these industrial drugs. Of course, we do

Regions like Lorestan province have the highest execution rates in the country in the field of drugs. Lorestan is not a transit area for drugs. What do you think is the reason?

In any region where people have at least a minimum job and can even bring home an empty bread, they no longer seek mischief and such activities. The problem is not the lack of jobs and employment. How many factories and job opportunities exist in Lorestan province? Wherever there is no stable job with even a minimum income, unfortunately, the young population in need of financial support are attracted to criminal groups, including drug-related groups. This problem also exists in provinces such as Sistan and Baluchestan; for example, in Kurdistan, there is the possibility of being a porter, but in provinces like Lorestan, even this possibility does not exist; as a result, individuals get involved in such activities due to unemployment.

Does it mean that the increase in production and consumption of drugs is directly related to poverty and unemployment?

Exactly. Most of the social diseases in Iran are caused by unemployment. The problem is the lack of jobs. From the beginning of history until today, people have needed three things: shelter, food, and clothing. Clothing can be from years ago. Shelter can even be living in a cave or a tent, but eventually, a person needs food to eat and survive. Today, a simple omelette in Iran can be expensive for some families.

Regarding the accused of murder, as you mentioned, the guardians of the victim are the final decision-makers for carrying out the sentence of death and execution of the convicted person. In modern countries that still have the death penalty, the judge and the judicial system of that country are the decision-makers for what punishment the person who committed the murder should receive. In your opinion, which of these two patterns is more fair and logical and takes into account the human rights of the accused more?

Here and in Iran, it is a religious issue and is determined by the religious authorities. In my belief, just as a person belongs to their family, they also belong to their society. Where did the idea of three to ten years of imprisonment for intentional murder, which is pardoned by the victim’s family, come from? This is the individual’s connection to society. In Iran, it is a religious issue and the religious authorities have made this determination. Perhaps they have seen something good in it that God has approved.

In my opinion, if a person convicted of murder is not executed, they will endure more suffering. However, our society is a nervous society and has a low tolerance level. In Iran, we have a low rate of decision-making for executions and most murders occur in accidents.

In your opinion, why does the government not learn from the inefficiency of the death penalty and instead think of alternative punishments that do not involve taking a life?

As long as our penal code is based on Islamic law, neither the members of parliament, nor the Guardian Council, nor the judges have the courage to step out of this framework. When we say our penal code is based on Islamic law, we must also accept its consequences; meaning that no one, neither the parliament members as lawmakers, nor the judiciary as drafters of legal bills, nor the government, nor any other institution or individual has the courage to oppose this and offer a different opinion. When the bill for retribution was presented during the time of Dr. Beheshti, those who criticized it were accused of being irreligious. They were told that they were going against one of the necessities of Islam and a verse of the Quran.

Like Dr. Naser Katouzian.

Yes, they and many other people. I have had several colleagues who were banned for the same reason and were dealt with at the same time. Some of the political parties in Iran today are also accused of denying the necessities of Islam for the same reason.

Well, regarding the execution of drug offenders, which is no longer a matter of debate in the Quran.

Yes. These are government systems. Remember, you cannot eliminate crime and wrongdoing by increasing punishment. If that were possible, a group of lawyers and sociologists would sit down and write a law and enforce it. The Prophet of Islam could not create an ideal and virtuous society during his lifetime. Crime and wrongdoing are the result of social life and its necessities. You cannot remove it, but you can control it. You can close the paths to criminal behavior. Compare areas with job opportunities to areas with the same population but without job opportunities in terms of crime and wrongdoing. Crime and the number of court cases are much lower. For example, this year in Kerman province, due to the cold weather, pistachio crops were damaged. This province produces about one and a half billion dollars worth of pistachios annually. This year, due to the cold weather, the pistachios did not reach this amount, and as a result, the number of small thefts has increased. The

Thank you for the time you have given us in the Peace Line magazine.