Joint Statement by a Group of Human Rights Organizations: The Time for Silence and Cautious Diplomacy is Over

A group of human rights organizations issued a joint statement warning about the wave of executions in Iran and calling for a "global immediate response." The "Impact Iran" coalition, along with 11 member organizations, expressed serious "concern" over the "horrific increase in executions by the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent months, including the recent wave of executions targeting protesters." The signatories of this statement urged member states and the United Nations to hold those involved in these actions accountable by "implementing targeted measures and restrictions against individuals and entities involved" in these actions that lead to loss of life. The signatories described the new wave of executions as a plan "to instill fear among the people of Iran and suppress any dissent following the unprecedented nationwide protest movement that began eight months ago," which they claim has been "deliberately" designed for this purpose and will continue "until the international community" takes serious action in response. These human rights organizations emphasized that many of the "ethnic minorities, primarily Baluch and Kurdish, are among the executed" and noted that "most executions in 2023 were based on crimes that, according to human rights laws, including drug-related offenses, are not considered the most serious crimes, thus constituting a clear violation of Iran's binding international obligations." The signatories deemed the international community's response to this troubling situation as "insufficient" and attributed the lack of a strong and meaningful reaction to the fact that it gives "Iranian officials the courage to use the death penalty as a weapon to suppress dissent and maintain their grip on power." In part of their statement, these human rights organizations stressed that "the time for silence, cautious diplomacy, and mild statements has long passed" and called on the international community to "take decisive, immediate, and unequivocal action." The signatories requested that member states and the United Nations "immediately, publicly, and explicitly condemn the recent executions in Iran and any potential executions thereafter, and go beyond their traditional opposition to the death penalty by explicitly acknowledging the arbitrary nature of these executions and the urgent need to hold the perpetrators accountable." They also requested "access for embassy or UN observers to trials in cases that lead to the death penalty" as another demand from member states and the UN. Among the signatories of this joint statement are the Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, Article 19, Iran Human Rights Organization, the Baluch Activists Campaign, Kurdpa, the Human Rights Organization in Kurdistan, the "Coalition Together Against the Death Penalty," and the "Impact Iran" coalition. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported on Thursday, June 1, that 142 people were executed in the previous month in Iran, marking an "unprecedented record" since 2015. According to this report, more than half of the executed individuals were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, and 21 percent of those executed were Baluch citizens. The report also stated that 307 people have been executed in the past five months, representing a 76 percent increase compared to the same period last year. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, the Islamic Republic of Iran has expanded the range of charges leading to death sentences by executing two individuals for expressing opinions online (sabb al-nabi) and for sexual relations (zina al-muhsana). Amnesty International also announced on June 1 that the number of drug-related executions by the Islamic Republic has tripled this year compared to last year. This international organization described the high number of executions as "shameful" and reported that since the beginning of the year, 173 people have been executed under the pretext of drug crimes in Iran, most of whom did not receive a fair trial. Recently, six lawyers sent a letter to Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, calling for "control or limitation" of the death penalty in Iran and other countries. These six Iranian lawyers attributed the increase in executions in Iran to the "Women, Life, Freedom" protest movement and urged Antonio Guterres to encourage UN member states to eliminate or at least limit the issuance of death sentences.