A human rights organization reports that the Iranian regime executed at least 87 people last month, including two men who were convicted when they were under 18. According to data compiled by the Iran Human Rights (IHR), the Iranian authorities announced only 19 of the 87 executions.
The IHR called on the international community, particularly European countries, to pressure the Iranian government to halt further executions. "In the month of January, we witnessed an average of one execution every nine hours, including two juvenile offenders and six public executions. Lack of reactions from the international community to these executions encourages the Iranian authorities to execute even more people in the months leading to the 2017 presidential election," said INR Spokesman Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
The IHR report comes just days after Amnesty International condemned the Iranian regime’s execution of its citizens, particularly minors, without fair trial. The January 30 Amnesty report noted that Iranian authorities were set to execute a man who was arrested as a juvenile and convicted based on “confessions” made under physical and mental torture.
Other reports suggest that Iran increased group executions of minorities in 2016, and remains the world’s leading executioner per capita. The latest spike in executions in Iran is also another reminder that President Hassan Rouhani has failed to fulfill his 2013 election pledge to improve the country’s appalling human rights record.
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit, educational organization. It does not engage in advocacy and its scholars’ opinions are their own. MEI welcomes financial donations, but retains sole editorial control over its work and its publications reflect only the authors’ views. For a listing of MEI donors, please click here.