Ahmad Shahid: The Number of Executions in Iran Exceeds That of Any Other Country in the World

Ahmad Shahid, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, presented the ninth annual report of this organization and his fifth report on the human rights situation in Iran to the 70th UN General Assembly on Tuesday, November 5. In this report, he criticized the increasing number of executions in Iran, the continued restrictions on freedom of expression, and the pressure on religious and ethnic minorities, as well as discrimination against women. The report also welcomed the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the 1+5 group, stating that this agreement could potentially have a positive impact on the human rights situation in Iran, especially in the economic and social fields. Furthermore, the report noted improvements in the status of Kurdish language education in Iran, mentioning that 'an official Kurdish textbook for high schools in Kurdistan province was published in February 2015, and the Islamic Azad University in Sanandaj has dedicated two courses to Kurdish language education.' According to Ahmad Shahid's latest report, UN member states have recently made 291 reform proposals to Iran, of which Iran has accepted 130. The issue of women's rights accounted for the highest percentage of these proposals, with 57 reform suggestions. The UN human rights reporter noted that between January and September 2015, the Islamic Republic of Iran responded to only one of the 15 correspondence attempts made by the UN human rights rapporteur with Iranian officials. The 'worrying' trend of increasing executions is highlighted in the report, which expresses concern over this trend, stating that the death penalty has led to an 'increase in brutality' in society and has not been successful in deterring crimes. The report emphasizes that the number of executions in Iran remains higher than in any other country in the world and has exceptionally increased since 2005, peaking in 2014 with 753 executions. This pace has further accelerated in the first seven months of the current year, exceeding 800 executions according to human rights organizations, and it may reach over a thousand by the end of the year. The report also notes that this month, the international community witnessed the execution of two teenagers in Iran, with dozens of other teenagers awaiting a similar fate. The UN human rights reporter states that Iran ranks in the bottom 5% among 142 countries regarding equal rights for women and men. The report continues: 'The discrimination faced by women in social, political, and economic areas undermines the significant advancements the Islamic Republic of Iran has made in women's education and health.' According to Ahmad Shahid, at least 46 journalists and social media activists were either detained or sentenced in Iran as of April 2015. Since then, only a few of these individuals have been released from prison. The report also states that from March 2014 to March 2015, at least 233 labor protests occurred in Iran, resulting in the detention of at least 230 individuals. The report adds: 'Domestic semi-official media in Iran report that over 480 people were flogged for eating during Ramadan's first 15 days, while the Iranian government only acknowledges three cases.' The report also addresses discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities in terms of civil, political, or economic rights, emphasizing that Iran's violations of international obligations must be addressed. Among the religious minorities mentioned are the Baha'is and Christians with Islamic backgrounds, as well as the Gonabadi Nematollahi dervishes, who face widespread discrimination and restrictions, with several members of these minorities still imprisoned.