The number of people executed in Iran last year rose to 901, including 31 women, some of whom were convicted of killing their husbands after suffering abuse or being forced into marriage. This was reported by "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, most of the executions were carried out for drug-related crimes. However, those executed also included political dissidents, as well as people who participated in the mass protests in 2022 sparked by the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
"It is deeply disturbing that we see an increase in the number of people on death row in Iran year after year", stressed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. "It is high time Iran stopped this ever-increasing wave of executions."
In total, at least 901 people were executed by hanging in the Islamic republic in 2024, compared to 853 in 2023. This represents the highest number since 2015, when 972 people were executed.
The 2022 protests have sparked some of the biggest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They erupted after the death in police custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was detained for allegedly violating the mandatory Islamic dress code.
At least 31 women were executed in 2024, UN human rights spokeswoman Liz Trossell said. This is the highest number in at least 15 years.
"The majority of cases are related to murder charges. A significant number of the women were victims of domestic violence, child or forced marriages," Trossell explained.
Reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, who won Iran's presidential election in July 2024, made campaign promises to better protect the rights of women and minorities.