Continuation of the Human Rights Council Meeting in Geneva and Release of Execution Statistics for 2017 in Iran

The 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is still ongoing, and last week, the latest report by Asma Jahangir, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, was presented at this meeting. The report accuses Iranian officials of 'human rights violations.' This report faced criticism from the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of Iran's Judiciary. Mohammad Javad Larijani objected to the methodology of the reports concerning Iran during the Human Rights Council meeting on Tuesday, deeming them 'one-sided and unfair.' At the same time, the annual report of the Iran Human Rights Organization based in Norway, which tracks and publishes statistics on executions in Iran, was reviewed at the Human Rights Council meeting. According to this report, 517 individuals were executed in Iran last year, with 230 of those related to drug offenses. The execution of 31 individuals in public and the execution of five juvenile offenders are other details mentioned in this report. Additionally, this week's magazine highlights: the sentencing of Sadegh Zibakalam, a university professor and political analyst in Tehran; the extension of the detention of Mohammad Najafi, a lawyer in Arak; the latest status of detained Gonabadi Dervishes in Tehran; and the continued detention of political and civil activists in various cities across Iran.