Iran has executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases connected to anti-government protests earlier this year, the United Nations human rights chief said Wednesday.
Volker Türk said the growing use of capital punishment appeared intended to intimidate the public and suppress opposition.
An execution in Iran
“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,” he said.
Iranian authorities killed thousands of people during the January protests, the country’s most serious domestic unrest in decades.
Rights groups say the government has continued pursuing opponents during the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February.
Türk said more than 100 people were at risk of execution on similar security-related charges.
Executions for drug-related offenses were also continuing at an “alarming rate,” he added.
The UN rights chief urged Tehran to halt all executions and begin moving toward the abolition of the death penalty.
He also raised concerns about alleged failures to guarantee fair trials and due process for defendants facing capital punishment.
Iran’s diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iranian officials have defended the country’s judicial procedures and use of the death penalty, saying they comply with domestic law and are necessary to protect public security.