Iran executes 12 on eve of Anti-Death Penalty Day on top of 500 this year

Azadeh Akbari
Azadeh Akbari

Contributor

A noose is seen as people hold Iranian flags during a protest on the day of the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023.
A noose is seen as people hold Iranian flags during a protest on the day of the Munich Security Conference, in Munich, Germany February 17, 2023.

Iran has executed at least 531 people this year including twelve prisoners put to death on the eve of the International Day Against the Death Penalty, rights groups reported this week.

The grim statistics highlight Iran's position as one of the top enforcers of capital punishment worldwide, despite growing global calls to halt executions and address human rights concerns.

Of those executed so far this year, 18 were women and one was a juvenile offender, according to the Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR).

“This year's World Day Against the Death Penalty holds particular significance for the Islamic Republic of Iran, where we continue to witness an alarming increase in the use of the death penalty,” said Mai Sato, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in a video message she shared on X.

Mai raised alarms over the targeted use of the death penalty against female activists and supporters of Iran’s feminist 2022 nationwide protests, sparked by the death of a young woman named Mahsa Amini in police custody.

Amnesty International accused Iranian authorities of using the death penalty to instill fear following the protests.

“Since the Woman Life Freedom uprising, Iran's authorities have weaponized the death penalty to terrorize the public. Their assault on the right to life underscores how global action is needed to halt executions,” Amnesty International Iran said in a statement on X.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, warned that Iran is taking advantage of global distractions to ramp up its executions.

“Under the shadow of the threat of war with Israel, and taking advantage of the neglect of the media and the international community, the Islamic Republic has begun a widespread massacre in Iranian prisons, targeting the most vulnerable individuals in society who have been sentenced to death in the regime's unjust courts," Amiry-Moghaddam said.

"The aim of these executions is to instill fear in society and ensure the survival of the regime,” he added.

At least 811 people have been executed in Iran over the last 12 months, marking a 23% increase compared to the previous year, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Rights groups say prisoners were denied fair trials, with the surge in executions highlighting Iran’s defiance of global efforts to limit the use of the death penalty.

Iran conducted the most executions of any country in the world after China last year, Amnesty International said in a report in May, adding that nearly 75% of all executions worldwide in 2023 outside China were in Iran.