Story thread · 21 reports / 19 sources

UN alarmed by rise in executions and death sentences in Iran

thenationalnews.com · 5dShare

At least 56 people have been executed in Iran on national security-related charges in the past five months, including 27 in cases linked to protests at the start of the year, UN human rights chief Volker Turk has said. “I am alarmed by the ​rise in executions and death sentences issued in Iran since March, and that capital punishment continues to be used to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent,” Mr Turk said in a statement on Wednesday. Iranian authorities killed thousands of people during anti-government protests in January, the country's worst domestic unrest in decades. Rights groups say the government has continued to crack down on opponents during the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Mr Turk ​said more than 100 people ‌are at risk of ⁠execution on similar security-related charges, ​while executions for drug-related offences ​continue at ‌an “alarming rate”. He urged Tehran to halt all executions, move towards abolishing the death penal

First report: March and March claims protests have eased burden on govt departments — sabcnews.com, 8d