Iran Executes Disabled Afghan Prisoner While Seated in Wheelchair, Rights Group Says

Tehran / Oslo – Iranian authorities have executed a 29-year-old Afghan citizen with a physical disability, reportedly while he remained seated in a wheelchair, according to a Kurdish human rights organization. The execution has drawn renewed international scrutiny over Iran’s use of the death penalty, particularly against foreign nationals.

The Hengaw Human Rights Organization, which monitors conditions in Iranian Kurdistan, reported that Wali Jan Noorzai (also spelled Norzai) was put to death at dawn on Wednesday at Rafsanjan Central Prison in Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. Noorzai, a native of Farah province in western Afghanistan, had been imprisoned for three years following his arrest on charges of “premeditated murder.”

According to Hengaw, Noorzai was seriously wounded by Iranian security forces during his arrest in Rafsanjan. The organization stated that he was shot directly by law enforcement officers, resulting in permanent spinal damage that left him unable to walk. He spent his entire pretrial detention and subsequent incarceration using a wheelchair, and his execution was ultimately carried out without removing him from it.

Iran’s judiciary has not publicly commented on the specifics of the case, including the circumstances of his arrest or the medical care he received while in custody. Under Iranian law, murder convictions can carry the death penalty, but rights groups have long criticized the judicial process for lacking transparency and failing to meet international fair-trial standards.

The execution comes amid a sharp increase in the number of Afghan nationals sentenced to death in Iran since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, at least 84 Afghan citizens were executed in Iran in 2025 alone one of the highest annual figures recorded for any foreign nationality in the country. The group notes that Afghan prisoners often face language barriers, limited access to legal counsel, and expedited proceedings, which undermine their ability to mount effective defenses.

Human rights advocates have expressed particular concern over the disproportionate application of capital punishment to migrants and refugees, many of whom entered Iran irregularly or lack formal legal status. Afghanistan remains one of the largest sources of refugees and asylum-seekers in Iran, with hundreds of thousands of Afghans living in the country under precarious conditions.

In response to the latest execution, Hengaw and other rights organizations have called on Iranian authorities to immediately impose a moratorium on executions involving foreign nationals, to disclose full details of judicial proceedings in death penalty cases, and to ensure that all defendants regardless of nationality or disability receive due process in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a signatory.

The United Nations and several Western governments have previously urged Iran to reform its criminal justice system and to consider alternatives to capital punishment, especially in cases involving individuals with mental or physical impairments. However, Tehran has consistently defended its judicial independence and maintained that all executions are carried out only after thorough legal review.

Noorzai’s case has also reignited debate over the treatment of Afghan refugees in Iran, where rising economic pressures and anti-migrant sentiment have led to increased arrests and deportations in recent years. Advocacy groups warn that without greater international pressure and monitoring, the number of executions of Afghan citizens could continue to rise.

Our Pashto-Dari Website

  Donate Here