A United Nations investigator said executions in Iran have been rising at “an exponential rate” since 2005 and could top 1,000 this year as the country cracks down on drug offenders.
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A total of 854 people have already been executed in the Islamic Republic in the first ten months of 2015, according to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), which records “unofficial”, “semiofficial” and “official” executions.
He said he met for the first time with members of the Iranian judiciary and security forces in Geneva last month.
Ahmed Shaheed said “there have been rising executions” in Iran and that women are still treated as second-class citizens, Reuters reported. Shaheed says in his report that Iranian officials told him during discussions in September that between 4,000 to 10,000 Iranians die annually from drug abuse and that capital punishment is a strong deterrent to would-be drug dealers.
Shaheed, the special investigator on the human rights situation in Iran, said the “shocking 753 executions” carried out by Iran in 2014 – the highest number ever – will be topped this year.
UNITED NATIONS- The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran warned Tuesday that there has been a disturbing surge in executions in Iran this year.
He also criticized Tehran for jailing a few 40 journalists during the year for vague charges.
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“The nuclear agreement reached this summer presents opportunities for advancing human rights in the country”, said Shaheed, adding that ending sanctions on Iran would have a direct impact.
