Iran's Execution Spike: A Dark Reality
The United Nations reports that Iran has executed 841 people this year, signaling a significant rise. Ethnic minorities and migrants are disproportionately targeted. Calls for Iran to cease using the death penalty grow, with 11 individuals currently facing imminent execution. UN urges suspension of capital punishment.
Amid international alarm, Iranian authorities have executed 841 people this year, a sharp increase compared to previous years, according to the United Nations human rights office. The UN reports a particularly grim July, with executions more than doubling from last year's figures.
The executions, which included women, Afghan nationals, and ethnic minorities such as Baloch, Kurdish, and Arab citizens, highlight a disturbing pattern of using the death penalty as a means to suppress dissent. U.N. spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani criticized the systematic intimidation and repression, calling attention to the disproportionate targeting of specific groups.
The UN's rising concern comes with a plea from human rights chief Volker Turk, urging Iran to temporarily halt executions as a step toward abolishing capital punishment entirely. Despite numerous appeals, Iran remains resistant to joining the global movement against the death penalty, with 11 individuals presently facing imminent execution.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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