Amnesty International: 70% of Executions in the Middle East and North Africa in 2022 Took Place in Iran

According to Amnesty International, in 2022, Iran continued to use the death penalty as a tool for political repression and disproportionately executed members of ethnic minorities as part of a long-standing and deep-rooted policy of discrimination and suppression against these groups. The report states that the increase in recorded executions worldwide was mainly due to a significant rise in executions in the Middle East and North Africa, a region where the number of executions rose by 59% from 520 in the previous year to 825 in 2022, with 70% of these occurring in Iran. Amnesty International noted that recorded executions in Iran increased by 83% compared to the previous year, primarily due to a rise in executions for murder and drug-related offenses. The report emphasizes that executions based on such charges in Iran violate clear international human rights standards, which do not permit the death penalty for crimes that are not considered among the 'most serious crimes,' including intentional homicide. Amnesty International also described the execution of at least five individuals in 2022 for crimes committed under the age of 18 as a violation of international standards and stated that other defendants in similar situations are awaiting execution in prison. The report also highlighted the execution of several defendants in Iran who have physical or mental disabilities as further violations of international standards. Amnesty International stated that, as in previous years, it used various information and sources to prepare this report, including official statistics, trials, information from death row inmates and their families and representatives, media reports, and civil society organizations. Concerns have been raised about the potential execution of three detained protesters in the 'Isfahan House' case, as protests continue in Iran alongside international solidarity demonstrations. UN human rights experts have called for a halt to executions in Iran, and executions in Iranian prisons continue; at least seven more prisoners were executed in Karaj. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the execution statistics in Iran as 'horrific.' The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern over the enforcement of strict laws under the pretext of 'insulting the sacred.' Six Arab political prisoners in Ahvaz were transferred to solitary confinement for execution.