Araz News: Five prisoners accused of drug trafficking were executed on Sunday May 31st.

The Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reported that early Sunday morning, the five were hanged in Tabriz’s central prison.

Mohammad Abbas Nejad, a 32-year old resident of Sardasht, is the only one of the five prisoners whose identity has been confirmed. Judicial authorities have yet to release any information about the other four.

In recent months, the implementation of the death penalty, especially public executions, have increased dramatically in Iran. A majority of executions, however, are done in secret without prior notice to the families.