Javad Larijani: Revising the Anti-Drug Law Does Not Mean Abolishing the Death Penalty

One day after a member of the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced the review of the abolition of the death penalty for drug offenses in this commission, the Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary stated that revising the anti-drug law does not mean abolishing the death penalty. Mohammad Javad Larijani, in an interview with the Tasnim news agency on Tuesday, September 2, opposed the abolition of the death penalty, emphasizing that for some 'very dangerous' crimes, the death penalty should exist. He also stated: 'Regarding punishments, especially for drugs, we are not in favor of completely abolishing the death penalty, but we are in favor of revising the law in a way that makes it more effective.' Mohammad Javad Larijani stressed that revising the anti-drug law does not equate to abolishing the death penalty but rather adopting a new mechanism for combating drug trafficking. The Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary added that the death penalty may still exist but with greater efficiency and fewer instances, focusing on the main traffickers and eradicating the roots of drug entry into society. One day prior to these statements, Jalil Rahimi Jahan Abadi, a member of the board of the Judicial and Legal Commission, announced that the abolition of the death penalty for drug offenses was being reviewed in the commission's meeting on Tuesday. He told the ISNA news agency that in this meeting, issues such as the complete abolition of the death penalty for drug-related crimes, conditional abolition, alternative punishments, and considering the death penalty for organized, armed, and international crimes were discussed. According to Jalil Rahimi Jahan Abadi, a single-article proposal to abolish the death penalty for drug offenses was also on the agenda in the previous parliament but did not reach a conclusion, and it was again on the agenda of the Judicial Commission in the tenth parliament. Simultaneously, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of Iran, announced on Tuesday, during a meeting of the Anti-Drug Headquarters, that a committee has been formed in the Attorney General's Office to address the problems of the anti-drug law. The Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary announced in a statement on August 27 that over 93% of executions in Iran are related to drug offenses, while international human rights organizations argue that according to global laws, drug trafficking is not considered a serious and major crime and should not be punishable by death. In response to a question about the effectiveness of the death penalty in recent years, Mohammad Javad Larijani said: 'It cannot be said that it has not been effective, but our discussion is about greater effectiveness, and of course, international issues are also noteworthy, and Iran's name should not be among the countries with the highest number of executions.' The Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary defended the implementation of the retribution sentence, stating: 'Retribution is a completely social matter, and its number is also low, and we are very proud of it.' The issue of executions in Iran has always been at the forefront of international criticism regarding human rights conditions in the country in recent years. In the latest instance, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and several other human rights organizations condemned the execution of 20 security prisoners accused of 'moharebeh and terrorist actions.' In response, Mohammad Javad Larijani sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, objecting to his statement about these individuals and calling the claim of their torture 'baseless and unrealistic.' According to Iranian judiciary officials, on August 12, 20 members of the 'Tawhid and Jihad' group were executed in Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj. The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly called on the Iranian authorities to abolish this punishment over the past years. According to Amnesty International, in 2015, 977 people were executed in Iran, a figure that this human rights organization described as 'unprecedented.' This report states that Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world after China.