Amnesty International Annual Report: 54 Percent of World’s Recorded Executions Carried Out in Iran

“Unjust, inhuman, and ineffective” are words that Amnesty International used to describe capital punishment and once again called on all countries to abolish this penalty.

“Unjust, inhuman, and ineffective” are words that Amnesty International used to describe capital punishment and once again called on all countries to abolish this penalty.

Amnesty International in its annual report on executions worldwide, released on Tuesday, June 24, announced that at least 579 executions were recorded globally in 2021.

Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia were responsible for 80 percent of all recorded executions in the world last year.

The report also states that the number of death sentences issued and recorded throughout last year exceeded 2,050 cases, which represents a 39 percent increase compared to the previous year.

These statistics do not include executions in China, as that country classifies the number of its executions as state secrets and does not provide any statistics on this matter. However, Amnesty International stated in its report that available information shows that thousands of people are sentenced to death and executed in China every year.

Amnesty International says that except for China, it does not have precise information on the number of executions in Vietnam, Belarus, and North Korea.

Iran Responsible for 60 Percent of All Recorded Executions in the Middle East

The Islamic Republic of Iran last year, by executing at least 314 death sentences, once again ranked second to China globally and was thus responsible for 54 percent of all recorded executions in the world.

This figure represents the highest number recorded in Iran since 2017 and accounts for 60 percent of all Middle Eastern executions.

Egypt with 83 executions and Saudi Arabia with 65 executions rank below Iran.

Syria (24 cases), Iraq (17 cases), Yemen (14 cases), and the United Arab Emirates with one execution are other Middle Eastern countries where executions have been recorded.

Amnesty International says the actual number of executions in Iran is likely higher than 314 cases, as the authorities of the Islamic Republic do not disclose the actual execution statistics, and access to this information is particularly difficult in minority-populated areas.

Of all recorded executions in Iran, 159 executions relate to the implementation of “qisas” (retributive justice) verdicts in murder cases.

Executions related to intentional murder in Iran are carried out under the title of “qisas,” and the judiciary, citing the Islamic Penal Code, places them in the hands of the victim’s family (legal heirs).

While human rights lawyers and defenders say that according to international law, the decision about a convict’s punishment should be the responsibility of the judicial system.

Last year, 132 people were executed for drug-related offenses, which represents a five-fold increase compared to the previous year.

Amnesty International says that according to international law, drug offenses are not considered “serious and major crimes” and capital punishment should not be executed for them.

Iran and Yemen: Only Countries Executing “Child Offenders”

Amnesty International’s report shows that in 2021, four “child offenders” were executed worldwide, one of whom was in Yemen and three others were hanged in Iran.

The three juvenile offenders executed in Iran were Sajad Sanjari, Ali Akbar Mohammadi, and Arman Abdolali, all of whom were under 18 years old at the time of the crime.

Iran has been a signatory to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1993 and is bound to implement it, yet it is among the few countries that continues to execute offenders under 18 in violation of this convention.

Iran’s judiciary cites Islamic rulings in this regard and considers the religious age of individuals, which in Islam is set at 9 years for girls and 15 years for boys.

This issue has been heavily criticized by the international community in recent years.

“Unjust” Trial Proceedings and Increased Executions of Ethnic Minorities in Iran

Amnesty International says the Iranian government uses execution as a tool for political repression, and people belonging to ethnic minorities are more likely than others to be sentenced to death on vague charges such as “moharebeh” (enmity against God).

According to the report, at least 61 Baloch citizens were executed in 2021, equivalent to 19 percent of all recorded executions in Iran.

Amnesty International in this regard referred to the execution of Mehran Narouyi, a Baloch citizen, and Heydar Ghorbani, a Kurdish citizen, and wrote that “their confessions were obtained under pressure and torture and these individuals were denied fair trial proceedings.”

Human rights organizations and legal experts have repeatedly stated that charges such as “baghi” (rebellion), “moharebeh,” “espionage,” and “efsad fil-arz” (corruption on earth) are “vague” charges, and the Iranian government typically uses such charges as a weapon to deal with its protesters and critics or to suppress ethnic minorities.

Amnesty International says the execution of people belonging to ethnic minorities in Khuzestan, Kurdistan, and Sistan and Baluchestan is “part of a long-standing and entrenched pattern of discrimination and oppression against minorities” by the authorities of the Islamic Republic.

Amnesty International says the Islamic Republic has in many cases carried out secret executions and refused to hand over the bodies of the executed to their families.

The report states that some of those executed in Iran are buried in unknown locations without informing their families, which constitutes the crime of “forced disappearance.”

Amnesty International also criticized trial proceedings in Iran in part of its report, stating that many death sentences are issued following unfair trials and based on confessions obtained under torture.

Efforts to Achieve a World Without Execution

According to Amnesty International’s report, in 2021 only 18 countries in the world carried out capital punishment.

This list includes China, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Oman, North Korea, Vietnam, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

According to the report, 144 countries worldwide have abolished capital punishment in their laws or have suspended its implementation in practice.

Amnesty International says it is working to abolish capital punishment around the world and believes that a world without execution can be achieved through the efforts of all.

Source: Voice of America