21 May 2023 :
(May 20, 2023) - Shahrooz Sokhanvari executed in Gohardasht on May 20
arrested by Interpol in Malaysia and extradited to Iran in 2020.
The judiciary’s Mizan Online news website said that Shahrouz Sokhanvari was hanged Saturday morning in Gohardasht Central Prison, aka Rajai Shahr, after his sentence was confirmed in the supreme court.
The report said that Sokhanvari was charged with “corruption on earth” for “establishing and managing a wide network of prostitution at the international level that has been attracting Iranian and foreign girls”.
Sokhanvari left Iran in 1983, living in India, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and the US before authorities captured him overseas and returned him to Iran in 2020, according to Mizan.
The report did not mention the country of detention or the process that led to his arrest.
Condemning the executions, IHR demands Interpol be held accountable for handing Shahrooz Sokhanvari to Iran authorities.
Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “If, as Islamic Republic authorities claim, Interpol was involved in handing over Shahrooz Sokhanvari to Iran, they are complicit in his execution and must be held accountable.”
In a statement published in August 2022, IHR questioned Interpol about its involvement in Sokhanvari’s extradition to Iran which was never answered.
According to the Judiciary’s Mizan news agency, a man was executed in Rajai Shahr on 20 May. His identity has been reported as 40-year-old Shahrooz Sokhanvari who was sentenced to death for charges of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) for “human trafficking for prostitiution.” He helped sex workers travel abroad for work, per the report.
Shahrooz Sokhanvari was arrested by Interpol in Malaysia in September 2020 and deported to Iran. Iran Human Rights previously questioned Interpol about their role in his deportation.
Shahrooz Sokhanvari’s death sentence by the Tehran Revolutionary Court was reported by a Judiciary spokesperson on 16 August 2022. It is not clear when his sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court.
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/5929/
https://english.shabtabnews.com/2023/05/20/human-trafficker-hanged-by-iranian-authorities/