Letter from 4 Lawyers to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime: Condition Cooperation with Iran on Halting Executions

Four Iranian lawyers have sent an open letter to the "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime," describing the execution of drug crime suspects as a "gross violation of the right to life" and requesting that any cooperation with the Islamic Republic be conditional on an immediate halt to these executions. According to the Iran Human Rights website, Hossein Raeisi, Tanaz Kolahchian, Mohammad Moqimi, and Nira Ansari stated in their letter that implementing this request could lead to a reduction of executions in Iran by half. They wrote: "We demand that the United Nations exert pressure on the Iranian government to change its criminal policy and immediately stop the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related crimes." The lawyers criticized the "media silence" and the lack of a proper international response to the executions of drug crime convicts in Iran, stating: "This has allowed the Islamic Republic to increase executions related to drug crimes 18 times compared to three years ago, at minimal cost." They emphasized in their letter that "what the Islamic Republic is doing against drug crime offenders is considered a gross violation of the right to life." The signatories of the letter viewed the cooperation of the "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime" with the Islamic Republic as leading to "the arrest and execution of more individuals," writing: "It is the people of countries committed to human rights standards who pay the cost of executions in Iran through financial support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime." The letter requested that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime condition "the continuation of financial aid and ongoing cooperation and support on an immediate halt to the death penalty for drug crimes." This letter, structured in six sections, refers to the widespread use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic for drug crimes to "instill fear in society," the failure to adhere to fair trial principles in the prosecution of such crimes, and the ineffectiveness of the death penalty in reducing drug crimes. A section of the letter states: "While trafficking in Iran is mainly carried out by international traffickers in collaboration with parts of the government, it is the poor segments of society who are condemned to death on these charges. The accused are often those driven to commit these crimes due to economic problems." The lawyers pointed out that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the application of the death penalty should be limited to "the most serious crimes," emphasizing that "drug crimes are not recognized as serious crimes." This is not the first time such a request has been made to the "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Previously, over 80 human rights organizations had issued a statement requesting that the continuation of cooperation between the "UN Office on Drugs and Crime" and the Islamic Republic be conditional on halting drug-related executions. The Iran Human Rights organization reported that the number of executions in the first five months of this year in the Islamic Republic's prisons was 237, including 10 women, adding that at least 64 of these individuals were executed last month, in May. Recently, some prisoners of "public crimes" held in Ghezal Hesar prison in Karaj indicated that the number of executions has increased, stating that in this prison, "between 10 to 20" prisoners are "taken from here and killed" each week. The human rights organization reported 237 executions in Iran over five months. Monthly reports from the human rights organization detail violations of women's rights in Iran: executions, femicide, arrests, and imprisonment. Testimonies from Ghezal Hesar prisoners about the increase in executions and violence; claims from the prison organization: "They have a welfare standard." Amnesty International's annual report: the sharp increase in executions in Iran has raised global statistics.