UN Human Rights Experts Call for Halt to Executions in Iran

A number of UN human rights experts, including Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, condemned the recent surge in executions in Iran and called for a stop to death sentences in the country on Tuesday, May 9. These experts pointed to the executions of Habib Asiyoud, Youssef Mehrdad, and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare, deeming the implementation of these sentences lacking legal legitimacy and stating that the trials of many of these individuals lacked fair trial guarantees and did not meet international standards. The UN human rights experts also described the execution of Habib Asiyoud as 'very concerning' despite repeated requests from human rights organizations and the international community, and labeled the executions of Youssef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare for insulting sacred beliefs, Islam, and the Prophet as severely 'unjust.' They further stated: 'Expressing opinions, criticizing religious leaders, or interpreting religious teachings and principles without inciting hatred, discrimination, hostility, or violence should never be criminalized, let alone lead to government executions.' The UN human rights experts urged the Iranian authorities to suspend all issued death sentences, completely abolish the death penalty, and amend the constitution and penal code to prohibit executions and commute all death sentences, and to refrain from using executions as a tool for political repression against protesters, dissenters, and minorities. According to international law, the death penalty can only be considered for crimes referred to as 'the most serious crimes,' and the accused must benefit from all fair trial guarantees in a legal process. In recent weeks, a new wave of executions has taken place in Iran, provoking protests from civil society organizations and international bodies. Teacher protests in several provinces of Iran coincided with the anniversary of the execution of Farzad Kamangar; the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences of three protesters; the Iranian judiciary defended the execution of Asiyoud; Abdul Ghafar Naqshbandi stated that the execution of dozens of Baloch citizens is a 'crime against humanity'; the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the statistics of executions in Iran as 'horrific'; widespread reactions to the executions in Iran; the US stated it is a sign of the regime's eagerness to violate human rights; the US Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern over the enforcement of strict laws under the pretext of 'insulting sacred beliefs'; the Islamic Republic executed two prisoners on charges of 'insulting the Prophet.'