Iran: Record High Number of Executions Raises Alarming Concerns

Iran‘s Escalation of Executions Sparks Human Rights Concerns

In recent weeks, Iranian authorities have sharply increased the number of executions, with at least 60 people executed since late April 2023, according to Human Rights Watch. Among the executed was an Iranian-Swedish national on alleged terror-related charges. The majority were executed after unfair trials or for charges like drug offenses, and two executions for blasphemy, which under international law should not result in the death penalty.

This surge in executions appears to be related to an increase in drug-related executions after a temporary decrease following a 2017 amendment to Iran‘s drug laws that raised the bar for the mandatory imposition of the death penalty. Human rights organizations have expressed concern that the Iranian government is using this inhumane punishment to show its strength and to oppress citizens who are calling for fundamental change in the country.

Iranian authorities executed Yousef Mehrdad and Seyed Sadrollah Fazeli Zare in Arak Prison following charges of “insulting the prophet”, “blasphemy”, “insulting the prophet’s mother,” and “belittling the Quran.” The authorities claimed the charges were based on peaceful speech the defendants broadcast on Telegram channels, but their families and public defenders did not know they had been executed. As HRANA notes, Iranian authorities executed 565 people in 2022, and at least 192 people between January and May 2023, including eight women, the majority of them for drug-related offenses and murder.

The escalation of executions is especially concerning to human rights groups globally, as Iran‘s capital punishment system is not meeting international human rights standards. Ethnic minorities in Iran have been particularly targeted by recent executions, with 130 people executed in four provinces of West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Sistan, and Baluchestan Kurdistan in 2022, according to a report by Iran Human Rights, a non-profit organization based in Norway. Furthermore, of the executions confirmed by Iran Human Rights in those areas, 90% remained unannounced by the authorities.

Iran‘s use of the death penalty as a form of punishment has been widely condemned and characterized as a human rights violation, particularly if used against individuals who have not been granted a fair trial. The insistence on using the death penalty even for offenses that international law considers unqualified for it has been the subject of controversy, especially given the irreversible and inhumane nature of capital punishment.

In conclusion, the international community should unite and condemn this terrifying escalation of executions in Iran. The Iranian authorities must be held responsible for violating human rights, including the right to life. It is the international community’s responsibility to demand fundamental changes from the Iranian government to meet the standards of human rights and treat citizens more humanely.

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