Iran’s Islamic Republic executed at least 122 people only in November, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a group monitoring human rights violations in the country. Although Iran has one of the highest execution records in the world, the number shows a staggering increase of more than 50% compared to the preceding month of October. Three of those executed in Iranian prisons were nationals of Afghanistan.
In a report released Saturday, December 2, the organization reveals the disturbing rise in executions in Iran which has the second highest rate of execution after China. Over half of the 122 people put to death faced drug charges, while the others were sentenced for political or religious beliefs, including two minors and two women.
Human rights organizations believe that Iran uses the death penalty in its criminal code as an instrument of political control. As such, the practice disproportionately targets ethno-religious minorities and those the regime deems a threat. According to the report, among those executed in November, 23 were Baloch prisoners (19%) and 19 others were Kurdish (15.5%). Moreover, eight ethnic Turks, five Lors and Bakhtiaris, five Gilaks, and three nationals of Afghanistan were also among those who faced capital punishment in Iranian prisons during the same period.
Iran ranks among the highest in executions globally, with a justice system that uses capital punishment for a range of offenses. These include drug-related crimes, matters of national security, certain religious offenses, and actions deemed to oppose the government, such as joining protests.
Iran’s dramatic rise in executions has drawn criticism from human rights watchdogs, the United Nations, and numerous countries. Earlier last month, The UN said that Iran is carrying out executions “at an alarming rate,” putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year. That is a 30% increase from the same period in 2022.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the U.N. General Assembly on the human rights situation in Iran that seven men were executed in relation to or for participating in nationwide protests in 2022. “In all seven cases, information received by the U.N. human rights office “consistently indicated that the judicial proceedings did not fulfill the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law,” Guterres said. “Access to adequate and timely legal representation was frequently denied, with reports of coerced confessions, which may have been obtained as a result of torture.” He urged the government of Iran to guarantee the right to peaceful assembly, to ensure that security at protests complies with international human rights norms and standards, and to respect the rights to due process and fair trials.
Human rights activists accuse the Islamic Republic of using the world’s preoccupation with war in Gaza as a cover to exact revenge on dissidents and put people to death without due judicial process. According to Iran Human Rights, a watchdog organization (IHR), Iran executes three individuals every day on average. “Since the start of the war, there has been little international focus on the human rights situation in Iran, and there has been no substantial response to the significant increase in executions,” said IHR director Said Mahmood Amiry to the Guardian.
Amnesty International says that it is mostly the poor and vulnerable who are impacted by the death penalty in Iran, as they are often unaware of their rights and cannot afford independent legal representation. Families of those executed frequently struggle with the dire economic consequences of losing breadwinners and being heavily indebted from legal fees.
