UN Experts Warn of 'Severe Increase in Executions' in Iran: These Punishments are 'Illegal'

A group of United Nations experts expressed concern on Friday regarding the rising number of executions carried out in August, urging the Iranian government to immediately halt capital punishment. The UN experts noted in their letter that 93 executions were carried out in August (July 10 to September 9), which is more than double the 45 executions in July (June 10 to July 9). According to them, so far this year, 400 Iranian citizens, including 15 women, have been executed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The UN experts pointed out that according to claims by Iranian officials, nearly half of those executed were convicted of drug-related offenses, adding that 'executions for [committing] drug-related crimes violate international standards.' They further stated that the trials of those sentenced to death lacked guarantees of due process. The UN experts indicated that the execution of Reza Rasayi, a Kurdish Yarsani prisoner arrested during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, was based on a forced confession obtained under torture. They also expressed concern over the imminent executions of Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Azizi, Mahmoud Mehrabi, Abbas Daris, Ahmadreza Jalali, and Jamshid Sharmad. Among the signatories of this letter are Mia Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Nazila Ghane, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, and Irene Khan, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression. Amnesty International has reported that the Islamic Republic was responsible for 74% of recorded executions worldwide last year. The executed individuals include ethnic minorities, particularly Baluchis, women, and those who were minors at the time of the crime. The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic confirmed the 'qisas' (retribution) sentence for a Basij member in the murder case of Mohammad Jameh Bozorg. The Human Rights Foundation called for the 'immediate and unconditional release' of Tomaj Salehi. Four prisoners were executed in Tabriz; three of the executed were non-Iranian. The execution of a Baluchi prisoner in the central prison of Zahedan was carried out; the accused had previously stated, 'I am not a killer.'