Larijani: The Avalanche of Executions Calls into Question Retribution

Mohammad Javad Larijani, Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary, stated on Tuesday, May 16, that the "avalanche" of executions of drug offenders in Iran has raised questions about what he calls the "radiant ruling of retribution." According to ISNA, Larijani, speaking at a conference on the role of the prosecutor's office in protecting the rights of defendants and citizens, said: "Unfortunately, today the ruling of retribution, which is a radiant ruling, is called into question under the avalanche of executions of drug offenders, and this is not suitable for our system, and we must review the law." Larijani further pointed out the issue of executions and expressed his belief that by 2019 the issue of halting executions will become mandatory worldwide, stating: "In our country, due to a law that prescribes the death penalty to a relatively large extent for drug offenses, we find ourselves as the second or third country in terms of the number of executions." The United Nations and human rights organizations say Iran has the highest number of executions in the world after China. Amnesty International also reported last month that in 2015, more than 1,634 people were executed worldwide, of which 977 were executed in Iran. According to this report, the number of executions in Iran in 2015 saw a significant increase compared to the previous year, 2014, when 743 executions occurred. These international organizations state that a large number of these executions in Iran are related to drug offenders. In December of last year, more than 70 members of the Iranian parliament signed a proposal to abolish the death penalty from the anti-drug law. In this context, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on Iran last month to refrain from executing these offenders until the Iranian Parliament decides on laws related to the punishment of drug traffickers. In this regard, Mohammad Javad Larijani had previously stated that "90 percent" of the death penalty statistics in Iran pertain to drug offenses. He also acknowledged that imposing the death penalty for drug-related crimes and executing it over nearly four decades has been ineffective and "does not yield the desired result." Larijani emphasized that the laws related to this punishment "need reform" and in this case, "90 percent of executions in Iran will decrease, which would be a significant step forward." In this context, until the Parliament's decision, Iran should "halt the execution of drug traffickers."