Iran Human Rights (IHR) has released a report revealing that Iran executed 194 people in 2023 alone. According to the report, Iranian authorities have been executing one person every six hours in the past ten days. This alarming statistic highlights the country’s persistent disregard for human rights and the sanctity of life.
The report comes just two days after Iranian authorities executed Habib Farajollah Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian man, for allegedly killing people at a military parade in 2018. Chaab’s execution has been widely condemned by human rights organizations, with many calling it a violation of international law.
Over the last 10 days, Iranian authorities have hanged over 42 people, with half of them belonging to the minority Baluch community. This community has long been subjected to discrimination and persecution by Iranian authorities.
The Iranian government’s willingness to carry out executions at such a high rate is a cause for concern for human rights advocates around the world. The use of the death penalty has been condemned by many countries and international organizations as a violation of human rights. The continued use of the death penalty in Iran, particularly against minority groups, is a clear indication of the country’s disregard for international human rights standards.
Why was Habib Farajollah Chaab killed?
On Saturday, Iran announced the death of Habib Farajollah Chaab for killing dozens of people in 2018.
Chaab had been sentenced to death for being “corrupt on Earth.”
In 2022, Chaab was put on trial for leading the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, a separatist movement that sought a state in the oil-rich Khuzistan province in southwestern Iran.
He was also accused of plotting and carrying out “numerous bombings and terrorist operations”.
‘Executions carried out to spread fear’
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the head of IHR said, “The purpose of the executions is to create societal fear, not to fight crime.”
“The Islamic Republic has executed one person every six hours in the last ten days while the international community has remained silent. More than half of those executed were Baluch minorities and drug defendants from the most marginalized communities who are low-cost victims of the government’s killing machine,” he added.
Another report by IHR in collaboration with France’s Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) showed that executions in Iran rose by 75 percent in 2022 with at least 582 people hanged to “spread fear” in the society.
Only 71 of these executions were officially recorded last year, official reports show. The rest were “unannounced” and “secretly” carried out and were reported by family members and eyewitnesses.
Mahmood said, “The international reactions to the death sentences against protesters have made it difficult for the Islamic Republic to proceed with their executions.”
