Sixteenth Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran; The Islamic Republic Leads the World in Executing Women

The sixteenth "Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran for 2023" was published on Tuesday morning, March 6, during a ceremony by the Iran Human Rights Organization in Paris, France. The Persian section of Voice of America presents a summary of the most important points of this year's report. About the report The preface of this 146-page report includes remarks from five prominent human rights defenders; Shirin Ebadi, lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner 2003, Robert Badinter, late Minister of Justice of France, Narges Mohammadi, human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize winner 2023, Mohammad Rasoulof, prominent Iranian filmmaker and anti-death penalty activist, and Atena Daemi, human rights defender and former political prisoner. This report, prepared by the Iran Human Rights Organization in collaboration with the French organization "Together Against the Death Penalty," addresses the number of executions in 2023, the trend of executions compared to previous years, the legal framework and procedures, charges, geographical distribution, and monthly breakdown of executions. This year's report also published a list of executed female and juvenile offenders from the previous year. The 2023 report is the result of the efforts and hard work of the members and supporters of the Iran Human Rights Organization and volunteers who participated in the preparation, documentation, collection, analysis, and writing of the report's content. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights Organization, stated upon the release of the report: "The report clearly shows that the Islamic Republic uses executions as a tool for political repression." According to Mr. Amiri-Moghaddam, "The only way this government maintains power is through instilling fear in society, and the death penalty is its most important tool for this purpose." He emphasized that "the lack of appropriate global response to executions sends the wrong message to the authorities of the Islamic Republic." The report states that "given the very difficult conditions and lack of official transparency alongside the clear dangers and limitations faced by human rights defenders in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this report cannot include all cases of the death penalty in Iran." The report also does not include "suspicious deaths in detention, prisoners sentenced to death who died in prison before execution, or those who were killed under torture." A brief look at the report According to the report, at least 834 people were executed in Iran in 2023, indicating a 43% increase from the previous year's figure of 582. Another notable point is that "85% of all executions included in the 2023 report, that is, 709 executions" were not announced by the authorities of the Islamic Republic. The execution of at least two juvenile offenders and 22 women in 2023 is another notable point in the Iran Human Rights Organization's report. Comparison with previous years According to the report, "since the first annual report of the Iran Human Rights Organization in 2008, the authorities of the Islamic Republic have executed at least 8,582 people; that is, an average of more than 536 executions per year." Additionally, "the number of executions in 2023 is the highest since 2015 and significantly higher than the average of this number over the past 16 years." Annual executions over the past 16 years Charges leading to executions According to the report, 57% of executions last year were due to drug-related charges, 34% due to murder, 4.7% due to security charges of moharebeh, baghi, and ifsad fil-arz, 2.4% due to rape and sexual assault, and less than 1% due to charges of adultery and insulting sacred values. The report includes the names of several executed individuals for various charges. Charges of executed individuals in 2023 Based on the report, among at least 39 executed individuals, six were among the protesters; one prisoner was executed for a crime committed 40 years ago; and there were eight Kurdish political prisoners, seven Baloch political prisoners, three Arab political prisoners, and two Afghan nationals. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, "the authorities of the Islamic Republic use the death penalty as a tool for political repression... there is a significant relationship between the number of executions and political events in Iran." The report adds that "the need of government officials to instill fear in society to prevent further protests may be the main reason for the sharp increase in drug-related executions." Pardons The annual report of the Iran Human Rights Organization on executions under the Islamic Republic shows that last year, 857 prisoners sentenced to death for murder were pardoned by the victims' families under qisas laws. According to the report, this number was 624 in 2022, 705 in 2021, and 662 in 2020. Pardons from 2015 to 2023 Iran's leading position in executing women According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, the Islamic Republic has executed at least 210 women between 2010 and 2023. The Islamic Republic also placed Iran at the top of countries executing women by executing 22 women in 2023. At least five of the executed women were Baloch; one was accused of "espionage for Israel"; and at least two were child brides. Recommendations The Iran Human Rights Organization and the French organization "Together Against the Death Penalty" have made recommendations to the international community and the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in another section of their report. They have called on the international community to prioritize human rights violations in Iran in negotiations with the Islamic Republic, support the UN Special Rapporteur's mission on the human rights situation in Iran and the UN fact-finding committee on the repression of protesters in Iran, and urge the Islamic Republic to suspend the use of the death penalty and move towards its complete abolition. These two organizations have also requested that the Islamic Republic immediately halt the execution of all death sentences, release all political prisoners including imprisoned human rights defenders, lawyers, and anti-death penalty activists, and fulfill and fully comply with its international human rights obligations.