Last year, at least 901 people were executed in Iran, according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk. This figure is notably higher than in 2023, when at least 853 people faced the death penalty.
Iran has long been among the countries with the highest number of executions globally. The United Nations, citing reliable human rights organizations, states that most executions in Iran last year were for drug offenses.
The data also indicates a significant increase in executions following protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained by Iran’s morality police in 2022 for allegedly wearing her headscarf improperly. She collapsed and died in custody.
The subsequent protests were forcefully suppressed, with thousands of demonstrators detained. The Iranian government reportedly used the death penalty to intimidate protesters.
Additionally, the UN reports an increase in the number of Iranian women sentenced to death last year. After Amini’s death, more women in Iran began appearing in public without headscarves, despite Islamic regulations requiring them to wear one.
The enforcement of the headscarf mandate has become stricter in recent years. Newly appointed President Pezeshkian stated last autumn that he believes the morality police should not harass women on the streets over headscarf compliance.
Türk expressed deep concern over the annual rise in executions in Iran, emphasizing that the death penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and highlighting the risk of executing innocent people. Amnesty International reported earlier this year that executions for drug offenses were often carried out secretly, without prior notification to the families or lawyers of those executed.
Source: NOS