human rights
Amnesty International: Number of executions in Iran has risen significantly
Demonstrators stand in front of the Reichstag with symbolic gallows and demonstrate against executions and the death penalty in Iran. photo
© Annette Riedl/dpa/Archive
Human rights activists have criticized the use of the death penalty in Iran for years. According to Amnesty International, around 100 people were executed in January and February alone.
According to information from the human rights organization Amnesty International, around 100 people were executed in Iran in the first two months of the year. The human rights organization reported today that the authorities carried out at least 94 death sentences in January and February alone.
According to research by the human rights organization Abdorrahman Boroumand Center based in the USA and by Amnesty, the number of executions has increased significantly compared to the previous year. The organizations also recorded cases of “horrific sexual violence and other allegations of torture”.
Amnesty has accused the authorities in Iran of using the death penalty as an “instrument of oppression” against ethnic minorities. At least one Iranian Arab, 14 Kurds and 13 members of the Baloch ethnic minority were executed in January and February. Death penalty in Iran is usually carried out by hanging.
Human rights activists have criticized the use of the death penalty in Iran for years. There are no official figures on executions. According to Amnesty International, at least 250 people were executed in Iran in the first half of 2022, mostly for drug-related offences. Iran also executed four participants in the recent wave of protests.