Iran executed more than 100 people between January and March

Iran executed more than 100 people in the first three months of 2022, according to a report presented Tuesday by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

About 260 people were executed in 2020 and at least 310 people in 2021, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashef said while presenting Guterres’ latest report on Iran to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. United Nations.

He explained that between 1 January and 20 March “at least 105 people were executed, many of them belonging to minorities”.

Al-Nshef said Guterres’ report indicated an increase in executions for less serious offenses, including drug-related offenses.

“The death penalty continues to be imposed on charges that do not constitute the ‘most serious crimes’ e in ways that contravene the standard due process, “he added.

He explained that in March, 52 people sentenced to death on drug charges were transferred to Shiraz Prison for execution.

He deplored Iran’s continued imposition of the death penalty on minors, which is a violation of international law.

He added that between August 2021 and March 2022, at least two people who committed the crimes attributed to them when they were minors were executed and more than 85 minors are still on death row. in waiting for execution.

“In February 2022, with a positive development, the Supreme Court decided to abolish the death penalty for a juvenile offender sentenced to death 18 years ago,” he said.

Al-Nashef condemned other human rights violations in Iran, in particularly with regard to protests against a group of social, political and economic challenges over the past year.

He noted that “the excessive use of force constitutes the automatic reaction of the authorities to the management of the gatherings”.

“In April and May 2022, at least 55 people, including professors, lawyers, labor advocates, artists and academics, were arrested during the protests and many of them face national security charges,” he added.

So far, he added, no steps have been taken to hold accountable for violations committed during nationwide protests in November 2019.

Al-Nashef said unnecessary deaths due to the authorities’ excessive use of force against peaceful protesters and detainees continued with impunity.

“The number of deaths in prisons … is very worrying,” he added.

For his part, Mehdi Aliabadi, Iran’s deputy permanent representative in Geneva, criticized the report, saying it was based on a hateful mandate imposed by Western countries to distort Iran’s image, and stressed that it was “biased. “.

“To reduce the noble goal of human rights to a petty political tool is outrageous and shameful,” he said.

Follow AsumeTech on

More From Category

More Stories Today

Leave a Reply