Three men have been executed in Iran after being convicted of drug trafficking, the country’s justice agency announced on Sunday. “Three members of a drug cartel have been hanged after being sentenced to death for corruption on earth due to the production of over 39 kilos of heroin,” Mizan Online reported.
The executions come a day after a man was hanged for running a human trafficking ring and three others were executed on Friday for their involvement in the November deaths of three law enforcement officers during protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini.
At least 209 people executed since January
Friday’s executions have been denounced by Western countries and criticized by human rights groups based outside Iran. Just like by the Swiss ambassador in Tehran. The latter was immediately summoned this Sunday to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the publication of a tweet. Nadine Lozano was summoned “following Switzerland’s interventionist position in the internal affairs of our country,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry blames the embassy for the “unconventional and unprofessional act of reposting a photo with a false flag” of Iran.
During her summons, the ambassador was “informed of the level of dissatisfaction” of the Iranian authorities, and of the fact that such an attitude was “not compatible with the friendly relations” between Iran and the Switzerland, according to the press release.
Since early January, at least 209 people have been executed in Iran, mostly for drug-related offences, according to the UN, which stresses that the figure could be higher. The country executes more people every year than any other country except China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.
At least 582 people were executed there last year, according to Iran Human Rights and another Paris-based organization, Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM).