Analysis by a Human Rights Organization on the Causes of Increased Executions in the Islamic Republic; 370 Executions in the First Six Months of the Current Year

The Iran Human Rights Center announced that according to registered statistics, at least 370 people were executed in various prisons of the Islamic Republic in the first six months of the year 1403, with the actual number estimated to be higher due to secret executions by the judiciary. According to this analytical report, the execution statistics for the first six months of 1403 are as follows: Farvardin (March-April) 23 people, Ordibehesht (April-May) 127 people, Khordad (May-June) 12 people, Tir (June-July) 30 people, Mordad (July-August) 126 people, and Shahrivar (August-September) 69 people. In Mehr (September), executions have significantly increased. Only on the 10th and 11th of Mehr, 13 and 17 people were executed, respectively, including at least 3 women. Additionally, after a long time, public executions have also been carried out, such as the execution of a young man in Shahroud and two prisoners in Khomain. The report added that executions have been carried out in various prisons including Bam, Golestan, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Shiraz, Ilam, Mashhad, Karaj, Zanjan, Kerman, and other cities. The Iran Human Rights Center identified one of the main reasons for the increase in executions as the 'severe suppression of popular protests.' The report added that since 1396 (2017), widespread protests have begun in Iran aimed at changing the regime. The Iranian rulers use executions as a 'tool to intimidate and silence opponents.' Another reason for the increase in executions, according to the analysis of this organization, is the massacre of social prisoners and political and civil activists to create terror and prevent the spread of protests. Experts believe that the Islamic Republic uses these methods to consolidate its power. Another reason for the increase in executions is political and international pressures. When the government faces serious internal challenges such as protests or economic crises, the number of executions increases. This action is seen as 'a way to divert public attention and demonstrate the power of the government.' In another section of this report, a direct relationship between poverty and the increase in drug-related crimes, which account for the highest number of executions, is mentioned, with the cause of this phenomenon attributed to economic corruption among government officials and the deprivation of border areas. The report explains that drug trafficking and murder, which make up a large portion of crimes leading to executions, occur mostly in impoverished and border areas where poverty and unemployment are clearly visible. The youth in these areas are drawn to drug-related activities due to a lack of job opportunities and suitable living conditions. The Iran Human Rights Center emphasizes that executions act as a superficial and temporary solution to reduce these crimes and, instead of addressing the economic and social roots of the problems, only lead to 'intensifying the cycle of violence.' Part of the Decode program: Organized government methods in exploiting executions and misleading information. Calls for sanctions and international prosecution of judges issuing death sentences for four Kurdish political prisoners. The execution of sentences in the prisons of the Islamic Republic continues. Dariush Eghbali, supporting the hunger strike of women in Evin Prison, called for the cancellation of the execution of 'Sharifeh Mohammadi.'