Rights Group Says Iran Executed Disabled Afghan Prisoner From Wheelchair

Hengaw said Sunday that Wali Jan Norzai, an Afghan citizen from Farah province in western Afghanistan, was executed at dawn last week in Rafsanjan Prison in Iran's Kerman province.

According to the organization, Norzai had been arrested about three years ago on charges of premeditated murder after being seriously wounded by Iranian security forces during his arrest in Rafsanjan. Hengaw said he was shot directly by law enforcement officers, leaving him permanently unable to walk.

The rights group said Norzai spent the past three years in prison using a wheelchair because of the injuries he sustained during the arrest and that the death sentence was ultimately carried out while he remained wheelchair-bound.

The reported execution comes amid growing concern over the treatment of Afghan nationals in Iran, where rights organizations say executions of Afghan prisoners have increased significantly since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, at least 84 Afghan citizens were executed in Iran in 2025, marking one of the highest annual totals recorded for Afghan nationals. Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over limited access to legal representation, lack of transparency in judicial proceedings, and the disproportionate use of the death penalty against foreign nationals.

Rights advocates have urged Iranian authorities to provide greater transparency regarding death penalty cases involving Afghan citizens and to ensure fair trial standards in accordance with international human rights obligations.

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