According to human rights groups, the number of executions in Iran rose by 75 percent in 2022, which was marked by ongoing protests, compared to the previous year. At least 582 death sentences were carried out last year, according to a report by the Norway-based organization Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the French alliance Against the Death Penalty (ECPM). In 2021 it was 333.
The past year in Iran was marked by the outbreak of protests after the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody. The Iranian authorities cracked down on the demonstrators.
“International reactions to the death sentences against demonstrators have made it difficult for the Islamic Republic to proceed with its executions,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. Instead, Iran is pushing ahead with executions on other, apolitical charges in order to intimidate the population: “These are the cheap victims of the Islamic Republic’s execution machine,” added Amiry-Moghaddam.
Amini was arrested by the vice squad in September for allegedly improperly wearing her headscarf. Activists allege that Amini was mistreated by the police.
