Iran ready to execute perpetrator of Azerbaijani embassy attack, Judiciary says

The spokesman for Iran's Judiciary, Asghar Jahangir, has announced that all preparations have been completed for the execution of the qisas (retributive-in-kind for murder) sentence against the individual convicted of attacking the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran.

Jahangir confirmed that the trial, primary court ruling, and final approval of the qisas sentence by the Supreme Court have all been completed. “The Judiciary is fully prepared to carry out the execution,” he stated, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

Jahangir explained that under Iranian law, for a qisas sentence to be executed, the victim’s blood owners—or their legal representatives—must formally request the enforcement of the sentence or be present at the appointed time for its execution. “So far, neither the blood owners nor their attorneys have approached us for this purpose. Therefore, despite the Judiciary’s full readiness and the completion of the legal process, the execution has not yet taken place,” he added.

The incident occurred on January 27, 2023, at 08:30 Baku time. Iranian citizen Yasin Hosseinzadeh, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle, broke through the embassy’s security post, killed the head of security, Orkhan Asgarov, and wounded security service employees Vasif Taghiyev and Mahir Imanov, who attempted to stop the attack.

On January 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan evacuated the embassy staff from Tehran, after which the diplomatic mission’s activities were suspended. In connection with the attack, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case under relevant articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.

Orkhan Asgarov was buried at the Second Alley of Martyrs in Baku. On February 3, 2023, by decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Orkhan Rizvan oglu Asgarov was posthumously awarded the “For the Motherland” medal. Vasif Natig oglu Taghiyev was awarded the First Class “Courage” Order, and Mahir Kamil oglu Imanov received the “For the Motherland” medal.

Following the attack, the activities of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran were suspended. The embassy staff and their families were evacuated to Baku on January 29, 2023.

As a result of negotiations between the two countries, the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran resumed its activities at a new address on July 15, 2024, with the ambassador and diplomatic staff returning to Iran.

The trial of Yasin Hosseinzadeh lasted for two years. After the trial, the Iranian Ministry of Justice announced that he had been sentenced to death. The Supreme Court of Iran upheld the death sentence against the attacker, after which the case was sent to Tehran for the execution of the criminal verdict.

By Khagan Isayev