Iran executed more than 900 people in 2024, marking a sharp rise in executions, the United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, revealed on Tuesday. This included 40 executions in a single week in December.
“It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year,” Turk stated. “It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions.”
Executions Target Drug Offenders and Protesters
The UN noted that Iranian authorities executed a majority of individuals for drug-related offenses. They also executed dissidents and people linked to the 2022-2023 protests. Human rights groups accuse Iran’s authorities, led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of using capital punishment as a tool to instill fear in society.
Global Condemnation of Iran’s Death Penalty
Iran ranks second globally, after China, in annual executions, according to Amnesty International. Activists claim the Islamic Republic uses the death penalty for major crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, rape, and sexual assault, but also as a political weapon.
“We oppose the death penalty under all circumstances,” Turk stated. “It is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and risks executing innocent people” she added.
Call for Moratorium on Executions
The UN rights chief urged Iranian authorities to halt all executions immediately. He also called for a moratorium on the death penalty as a step toward its abolition. “And, to be clear, it can never be imposed for conduct that is protected under international human rights law,” Turk emphasized.
