Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty have reported a staggering 834 executions in Iran for the year 2023, marking the highest number since 2015. These non-governmental organizations have accused Iran of using the death penalty as a tool for political repression, following widespread protests across the nation.
The report, released on March 5, indicates an alarming 43% increase in executions compared to 2022, making it the highest figure recorded in the past eight years. According to the annual report by Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty, “the explosion in the number of executions in 2023 is unprecedented,” highlighting a second instance in two decades where executions surpassed 800 in a year, a figure they describe as “horrifying.” Iran, alongside China and Saudi Arabia, remains one of the top executing countries, primarily carrying out death sentences through hanging.
At least 22 women executed
In a concerning trend, at least 22 women were executed in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2023, the highest in the last decade when in 2015 Iranian authorities executed 972 individuals. The 100-page report accuses Iran of leveraging the death penalty as a “political repression tool” following extensive protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died three days after her arrest by the morality police for improperly wearing a hijab, igniting nationwide protests. Her family and human rights activists argue she was beaten to death, a claim Iranian officials deny.
The protests shook the Islamic Republic’s regime for weeks before being subdued by a crackdown that, according to human rights groups, resulted in the deaths of hundreds and thousands of arrests as per the United Nations. “Instilling fear in society is the regime’s only way to cling to power, with the death penalty being its most important instrument,” stated Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights. The report also notes that it does not include “at least 551 individuals killed during protests or through other extrajudicial executions inside and outside prisons.” At least eight protesters were among those executed in 2023, six of whom were arrested in the context of the protests and subsequently condemned.
Drug-related executions
The report further highlights that at least 471 individuals (56% of the total executions) were executed for drug-related offenses, a figure more than 18 times higher than that recorded in 2020, and at least 282 individuals (34% of the total) for murder. Iran, known for having one of the world’s highest rates of opioid consumption, serves as a major drug trafficking route from neighboring Afghanistan to Europe and the Middle East.
The sharp rise in drug-related executions in 2023 raises significant concerns. The executed individuals, largely from marginalized communities and ethnic minorities, particularly the Baluchis, are disproportionately represented, the report points out. Iran Human Rights and Together Against the Death Penalty urge the international community to prioritize the death penalty in any dialogue with representatives of the Islamic Republic.
Source » international.la-croix