UN Human Rights Experts Warn; At Least '93 People' Executed in Iran in August

UN human rights experts have warned of a significant increase in the number of executions in Iran in August, urging the Islamic Republic to immediately halt the execution of all death penalty convicts. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated in a statement released on Monday, September 3, that according to information collected and received by the experts, the number of executions, which was 45 in July, more than doubled in August, increasing to at least 93. The number of executions in Iran has surpassed 400 since the beginning of the current calendar year, with at least 15 of those executed being women. In part of their statement, UN human rights experts expressed, 'We are deeply concerned about the significant increase in the number of executions. In August, only a few executions were announced by government agencies, highlighting the importance and necessity of transparency in reporting in this regard.' About half of the executions in August, at least 41 cases, were related to drug-related crimes. This is while the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a signatory of the 'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights', is obligated to issue and carry out the death penalty only for very serious crimes such as murder. UN experts further stated, 'The death penalty for drug-related crimes is a clear violation of international standards.' Human rights organizations' reviews of statistics show that the number of drug-related executions in Iran has sharply increased since 2021. In 2023 alone, more than 400 convicts of such crimes were executed. Despite a revision of the law known as the 'Anti-Drug Trafficking Law', which ostensibly aimed to limit the death penalty for convicts of these types of crimes, the number of executions has increased in recent years. UN human rights experts continued in their statement: 'Countries where the death penalty continues must ensure that defendants are not subjected to torture and ill-treatment during detention and trial. The rights of defendants to fair trial and equality in the application of the law in all judicial cases must be respected.' The experts noted that according to the information they received, these standards and judicial guarantees have not been observed in the trial and sentencing process of death row convicts, including those convicted of murder. Their statement added: 'Information indicating gross violations of due process and fair trial means that the death penalty as currently implemented in the Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes illegal executions.' In Iran, many individuals face the death penalty for a variety of crimes, including what is interpreted by the Islamic Republic as 'attempting to overthrow or armed rebellion, corruption on earth, enmity against God and His Messenger, or disbelief.' According to UN human rights experts, such accusations are not considered very serious crimes under the 'International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights'. The Islamic Republic also employs very vague definitions in describing and classifying the 'crimes' of its political and ideological opponents, which constitutes a gross violation of international standards regarding the issuance of death sentences. UN human rights experts stated that they have been aware of the trial and sentencing process for six political activists opposed to the Iranian government who were accused of 'security crimes' and have contacted responsible authorities in Iran regarding the fate of these individuals over the past two years. The names of these six individuals are Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Azizi, Mohammad Moharabi, Ahmadreza Jalali, Jamshid Sharmad, and Abbas Daris. In conclusion, UN human rights experts emphasized: 'Unjust and illegal executions are irreversible. The current method of issuing death sentences and carrying out this punishment in the Islamic Republic of Iran has severely concerned us that possibly innocent individuals have also been executed. We again urge the Iranian government to halt the execution of all individuals sentenced to death.'