Iran Human Rights Organization: Six Thousand Executions in the Fourth Decade of the Islamic Republic

The Iran Human Rights Organization based in Oslo, Norway, which monitors and publishes news related to executions in Iran, announced on Tuesday, March 7, that it has confirmed approximately six thousand executions in the fourth decade of the Islamic Republic. In its annual report on executions in Iran, which examines the executions of 2018, it states that at least 273 individuals were executed in Iran in 2018, marking a 48 percent decrease compared to the previous year. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, this decrease is attributed to changes in drug-related crime laws that were implemented in November 2017. The organization noted that only 34 percent of these executions were officially announced by Iranian authorities, while the rest were confirmed through its own sources in Iran. The report indicates that around 70 percent of the executions in the previous year were related to murder charges, and at least 24 individuals were executed for drug-related crimes, a significantly lower number than in 2017. The Iran Human Rights Organization criticized the judicial processes that lead to the issuance and execution of death sentences in Iran, accusing Iranian judicial authorities of systematically violating the right to a fair trial and breaching laws. It further stated that many confessions from defendants are obtained under pressure and torture, forming the basis for their trials. The report also highlighted the execution of three Kurdish prisoners named Zanyar Moradi, Luqman Moradi, and Ramin Hossein Panahi, as well as Mohammad Thalath, a member of the Gonabadi Dervishes, and several economic offenders. Additionally, it mentioned the execution of at least six 'child offenders,' individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crimes, noting that Iran is the only country that continues to execute offenders under 18 in recent years. This issue has consistently drawn criticism from the United Nations and human rights advocates. Human rights defenders argue that offenders under 18 are considered children, and executing them violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran ratified and approved in its parliament in 1993. The Iranian judiciary keeps offenders who commit crimes before the age of 18 in prison for several years and executes them after they turn 18, while human rights defenders argue that the age at which the crime was committed should be the basis for judgment. Amnesty International also reported that over 90 juvenile offenders are awaiting execution in Iranian prisons, all of whom were under 18 at the time of their crimes. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, Iran remains the second highest in the world for the number of executions.