Spokesperson For The UN High Commissioner For Human Rights: Liz Throssell

Location: Geneva

Date: 9 August 2024

Subject: Iran

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk is extremely concerned about reports that, in the space of two days this week, Iranian authorities reportedly executed at least 29 people across the country. This represents an alarmingly high number of executions in such a short period of time. We have also verified that 38 people were executed in July.

This brings the reported number of executions to at least 345 this year, among them 15 women.

Those executed were primarily convicted of drug related offences or murder. Nearly half of the executions since the beginning of 2024 were for drug-related offences. Imposing the death penalty for offences not involving intentional killing is incompatible with international human rights norms and standards, as we have repeatedly emphasized.

We also have recurring concerns about the lack of due process and fair trial standards in many of these cases. Several executions were carried out with neither the prisoner’s family nor legal counsel being informed.

Minorities, including Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs and Baluch continue to be disproportionately affected by these executions.

It is time for Iran to join the growing consensus worldwide towards universal abolition, by imposing a moratorium on executions, with a view to ultimately abolishing the death penalty.

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