Human Rights Documentation Center Reports 390 Executions in 2017

The Human Rights Documentation Center of Iran reported that a total of 390 people were executed in Iran in 2017, six of whom were under 18 years old at the time of their crimes. The center stated in a report on its website that the details and charges of the executed individuals were compiled based on official, semi-official, and unofficial sources. Among the 89 executions examined in this report, 89 were documented based on statements from Iranian judicial officials. However, according to the Human Rights Documentation Center of Iran, since the Islamic Republic government does not announce many executions, access to accurate execution statistics is not easy. The findings of this report indicate that among those executed in 2017 were Kabir Dehqanzi, Javad Mir, Alireza Tajiki, Amir Hossein Pourjafar, Ali Kazemi, and Mahbubeh Mofidi, who were under 18 years old at the time of their crimes. The report states that the majority of those executed were charged with drug trafficking and murder. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the high number of executions in Iran. Previously, the United Nations also reported on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, that 482 people were executed in Iran in 2017. According to this report, among them, 213 were executed for drug-related charges and 202 for murder. 24 were executed for sexual assault charges, 16 for theft and armed robbery, and two for political crimes. A similar report published by the Human Rights Documentation Center of Iran regarding the number of executions in 2017 estimated the number of executions in the previous year at 524, of which only 93 were officially announced. The number of executions in Iran one year prior was 530 and two years prior was 969. One reason for the decrease in executions last year was the change in the drug offenders' punishment law, which has been welcomed by the UN and human rights organizations. This law, according to reports, changes the fate of 5,300 individuals facing the death penalty. The law, which came into effect on November 14, 2017, after being approved by the Guardian Council, removed the death penalty from some cases and established alternative sentences such as life imprisonment, long-term imprisonment, and fines instead. However, the UN previously emphasized in its report that although the number of executions in Iran has shown a decreasing trend, it still holds a disturbingly high number. Meanwhile, the execution of individuals who committed crimes before the age of 18 has repeatedly drawn the protests of international human rights organizations. International laws explicitly call on countries around the world to refrain from imposing the death penalty on individuals under 18 years of age. Nevertheless, Iran is among the few countries where the death penalty is issued for minors under 18, and these sentences are carried out after they turn 18. According to statistics from the UN Human Rights Office, 80 people in Iranian prisons are awaiting execution for crimes committed under the age of 18.