Over 600 people have been executed in Iran since the start of the year, the highest annual figure in eight years, according to a human rights defence group.
Nine executions occurred in a single day this week in a prison near Tehran, says Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR). Additionally, two individuals risk execution for adultery.
IHR and other non-governmental organisations have accused Iran of using capital punishment as a tool for instilling fear, following woman’s rights protests that shook the country for several months from September 2022.
“The international community must react to more than 600 executions in ten months, which is two state murders a day,” stated IHR Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
“Silence essentially condones these crimes,” he continued, noting Iran’s appointment as the chair of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Social Forum earlier this week.
The 604 executions recorded by IHR already eclipse the 582 logged in 2022. They represent the highest number since 2015, when 972 executions were documented.
Activists have expressed concern over the growing number of drug-related executions, which have increased in recent years following alterations to the Iranian Penal Code.
