Iran Human Rights

Denmark Stops Aid to Iran's Fight Against Drug Trafficking-

Iran Human Rights — 2013-04-09T10:23:24Z

Iran Human Rights, April 9: The Danish government has decided to cut its aids to Iran's anti-drug program, say Danish newspapers today.

Denmark was one of several western countries providing financial aid to Iran's war on drugs. The aid is provided to Iranian authorities though the UNODC (United Nation's office for drugs and crimes).

Many of those in Iran who are issued drug related charges are executed. According to the Iran Human Rights annual report on the death penalty in 2012, at least 76% of all executions (438 out of 580 executions) in 2012 were for drug-related charges.

In the past few years several human rights organizations have urged the UNODC and donor countries to stop contributing indirectly to the increase in executions in Iran.

Danish newspaper Politiken reported that "Denmark has the past two years given five million dollars annually to a counter-narcotics program in Iran."

“During the same period, the Iranian authorities executed hundreds of suspected drug offenders, and on this basis, Development Minister Christian Friis Bach (Radikale) has now decided to immediately discontinue support for the program”, reported Politiken Tuesday.

– “It is a signal to Iran that the use of the death penalty is unacceptable and something that we in no way can vouch for”, he told Politiken.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR welcomed Denmark's decision and said: "We still haven't heard the details through official channels, but given that the news is true, we are very glad and hope other countries providing aid to the UNODC's cooperation with Iran will follow Denmark's move. This aid should go to programs promoting human rights and not to programs contributing to the death penalty."

ANNUAL REPORT ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN IRAN- 2012

Iran Human Rights — 2013-04-04T10:23:20Z

Iran Human Rights, April 4: Iran Human Rights will present the "Annual report on the death penalty in Iran 2012" with the French NGO "Ensemble Contre la Peine de Morte" (ECPM) today.

PDF version of the full report can be uploaded here:

A short version of the report is presented below.

Introduction:

The fifth annual report of Iran Human Rights (IHR) on the death penalty in Iran is an assessment of how the death penalty was used in 2012. Due to harsh crackdowns on civil society, non-existing freedom of press and lack of transparency of the Iranian judicial system, the present report by no means covers all death penalty cases in Iran. The report is the result of efforts by human rights defenders, members and affiliates of IHR in Iran who, on some occasions, took serious risks to help provide a more accurate picture of the death penalty than the official channels do.

The number of executions in 2012 in Iran is among the highest in more than 15 years. Besides the confirmed numbers, it is believed there is a large number of unannounced executions.

Annual 2012 report at a glance:

• At least 580 people were executed in 2012 in Iran.

• 294 cases (51%) were reported by official Iranian sources.

• 286 cases included in the annual numbers were reported by unofficial sources.

• Only 85 out of the estimated 325 secret executions carried out in Vakilabad Prison in 2012 are included in the present report.

• At least 76% of executions included in this report were due to drug related charges.

• 60 executions were carried out in public in 2012. 46% of all public executions were carried out in the province of Fars (southern Iran).

• One third (20) of those executed in public were convicted of drug-related charges.

• At least 27 Afghan citizens and one Pakistani citizen were executed in in 2012.

• At least 9 women were executed in 2012.

• IHR has received reports of secret or ‘un-announced' executions in more than 15 different Iranian prisons.

The Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran – 2012 is being published at a time when Iranian society heads toward an uncertain future. Socio-economic conditions worsen each day, and in June 2013 another round of Presidential elections will commence in Iran. Keeping in mind the 2009 post-election protests in Iran and the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011, Iranian authorities are well aware that the outcome of new protests in June 2013 may be even worse than the protests in 2009. They are therefore doing the maximum to prevent new protests. Spreading fear through society is the Iranian authorities' main oppressive strategy, and the death penalty is their most important instrument to do so.

Since the protests in 2009, the number of executions, particularly public executions, has risen dramatically. Public executions in 2012 were more than six times higher than numbers from 2009. The trend continues in 2013. Just in January and February 2013 alone, 20 people were hanged in public. Other demonstrations of horror were carried out in 2013, including the Taliban-style public hanging of a young man in a football (soccer) stadium in Sabzevar , the public executions of two young men, who were convicted of mugging charges , and the public amputation of a man's fingers in Shiraz .

Secret executions in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad (northeastern Iran) have resumed. Since October 2012, IHR has received reports of weekly executions in Vakilabad Prison, where probably several hundred prisoners have been executed so far. IHR has included only a small portion of those executions in this report; only those that have been confirmed by at least two independent sources. IHR and ECPM characterize mass executions in Vakilabad Prisonas a massacre and have urged the United Nations to send a fact-finding mission to Iran to investigate these executions . There are also reports of unannounced executions in several other Iranian prisons, such as Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. Death row prisoners in this prison live under the constant fear of execution .

Drug-related charges still account for the majority of executions in Iran, and most prisoners executed on drug-related charges are unidentified. These prisoners do not receive coverage from international media, campaigns do not exist to help save their lives, and their executions do not typically lead to international attention. However, in 2012, victims of the Iranian regime's ‘war on drugs'— which is supported by UNODC—were finally given a face.

Saeed Sedighi, a young man tortured to confess to drug trafficking, was sentenced to death after an unfair trial and executed in October 2012. His execution was postponed for one week due to an international campaign initiated by several human rights organizations as IHR and ECPM, statements issued by UN Special Rapporteurs, and reactions from the international community. Many death row prisoners in Iran are treated in a similar manner. They are subjected to torture, coerced confessions, unfair trials, and their cases do not receive appropriate attention.

IHR and ECPM along with other human rights groups have urged the UNODC to halt all fundings to Iran as long as prisoners, convicted of drug-related charges, are facing the death penalty.

IHR and ECPM are also concerned about death row prisoners from ethnic regions in Iran, especially the Arab, Baluchi, and Kurdish prisoners who remain at imminent danger of execution.

In 2012 four imprisoned Ahwazi Arab activists were executed and death sentences for five more (Mohammad Ali Amourinejad, Hashem Shabani, Hadi Rashedi, Mokhtar Alboshoka and Jaber Alboshoka) Ahwazi Arab activists, charged with “Moharebeh”, were upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.

Six Salafist Kurdish prisoners were executed in December 2012 in Tehran and more are awaiting on death row.

Zanyar and Loghman Moradi, two Kurdish death row prisoners continue to be at imminent danger of execution. Less information is available regarding Baluchi death row prisoners, but according to IHR reports, many Baluchi prisoners have been executed in other Iranian prisons outside Baluchistan.

As the June Presidential election nears, we fear an increase in the number of executions, particularly in the ethnic regions of Iran. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the international spokesperson for IHR, says: “We urge the international community to pay more attention to Iran in the coming months as we expect an increase in the number of executions. There are also several prisoners of conscience who are at imminent danger of execution.” He continues: “We urge the United Nations to impose a ban on public executions, which besides being a dehumanizing punishment, also brutalizes the general public; particularly children.”

IHR Publishes Annual Death Penalty Report: Highest Numbers in 15 Years

Zanyar — 2013-04-03T19:56:00Z

Iran Human Rights, April 4: Iran Human Rights (IHR) has stated in its most recent annual death penalty report that the real number of executions in Iran in 2012 was among the highest in more than 15 years.

IHR reported on the possibility of hundreds of executions in Vakilabad, a prison in Mashhad. However, due to a lack of access to information and due process, most of these executions could not be declared official.

Since October 2012, IHR has received reports of weekly executions in Vakilabad, where approximately several hundred prisoners have been executed so far. “IHR characterizes mass executions in Vakilabad Prison as a massacre and has urged the United Nations to send a fact-finding mission to Iran to investigate these executions,” says Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the executive director and international spokesperson of IHR.

With the approach of the presidential elections in June, IHR has expressed concern that Iranian authorities may further use the death penalty as a tool for intimidation and political repression. “We urge the international community to pay more attention to Iran as we expect an increase in the number of executions,” says Amiry-Moghaddam. IHR's report states that Iranian authorities are aware that the outcome of new protests in June 2013 may be even worse than previous years, thus they are taking extreme preventative measures. “Spreading fear through society is the Iranian authorities' main oppressive strategy, and their most powerful instrument is the death penalty," says Amiry-Moghaddam.

IHR's fifth annual report on the death penalty in Iran will be launched to the public this afternoon in Paris at the office of the ECMP, a group working for the abolition of the death penalty and a partner of the report. The full report is available on the IHR website on Thursday as well.

PDF version of the full report can be uploaded here:

New Executions in Vakilabad- About 500 Executions in One Prison Since October 2012- IHR Urges the International Community to Intervene Immediately

Iran Human Rights — 2013-02-26T09:25:30Z

Iran Human Rights, February 24: On February 3, Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported that secret executions in Vakilabad prison had resumed after several months' halt due to international reactions. The executions began in October 2012 and have been taking place on Wednesdays and Sundays every week. On a few occasions there have been three weekly executions. Each time, at least ten prisoners are hanged; on two occasions in November and December, thirty-five and fifty prisoners were executed respectively. The executions take place in complete secrecy, and the phone lines of the prison are cut off several hours before the executions. - Neither the prisoners nor their families and lawyers (if they have them) are informed about the executions in advance.

Tens of prisoners, among them a possible minor, executed on February 10 and 13

Reliable reports from Vakilabad prison indicate that the mass executions are still taking place. IHR has now received more details about the mass executions which occurred on Sunday, February 10 and Wednesday, February 13. According to these reports, at least ten prisoners were executed on February 10, while the number of prisoners executed on Wednesday February 13 was much higher. Most of those executed were convicted of drug related charges. However, a possible minor offender was among those executed on February 13: a young boy who had just turned eighteen and was convicted of murder. According to our sources, the boy was allegedly a minor and under narcotic-induced psychosis when he committed the offence.

Many Afghan citizens among those executed:

IHR has also received reports about a significant number of Afghan prisoners among those executed in the Vakilabad prison in the past few months. The bodies of the executed Afghan prisoners, which were not transferred to Afghanistan, are buried at a section of the Mashhad Cemetery (Behesht-e-Reza) along with the bodies of the other prisoners executed secretly in Vakilabad. This part of the cemetery is monitored by cameras and patrolled by the Iranian security forces. A recent report from BBC Persian supports IHR's reports on execution of Afghans in Vakilabad. On February 23, BBC Persian reported that bodies of five Afghan prisoners, who were executed in Iran, were buried in the Kalafgan district of Takhar Province in Afghanistan. Quoting the families of those executed, the report says that about 80 people from this district have been executed in the last six months in Iran. The report said that 50 bodies were trensferred to Afghanistan while the remining bodies are being kept at cold rooms in Iran.

United Nations must intervene

Based on the new information about the mass executions in Vakilabad, IHR has sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations (UN) to send a fact finding mission to Iran. IHR spokesperson Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “What is going on in Vakilabad is a massacre. These are arbitrary and unlawful mass executions that must be stopped[…] We urge the UN to send a fact finding commission to Iran immediately and we ask the international community to react. Hundreds or possibly thousands of the prisoners can be executed in the coming months.” Amiry-Moghaddam also urged the Afghan government to follow up the situation of its imprisoned citizens in Iran more closely, saying, “Afghan citizens are among the weakest in the Iranian society. Many of those imprisoned do not have access to lawyers and their execution is violation of international obligations. Unfortunately, the Afghan government doesn't seem to pay much attention to its imprisoned citizens in Iran.”

—

Overfilled prisons Iranian authorities' motivation for the mass executions?

According to unconfirmed reports, there could be as many as 3,000 death row prisoners in Vakilabad in danger of execution in the coming months. IHR believes that secret executions also take place in other Iranian prisoners. In its annual report from 2011, IHR reported confirmed secret executions in fifteen different Iranian prisoners. One of the reasons for the secret mass executions in Vakilabad and other Iranian prisons is that the prisons are overfilled. According to official Iranian reports, there are 600,000 prisoners in the Iranian prisons. IHR's sources estimate that there are 20,000 prisoners in Vakilabad, though the prison only has the capacity to house 4,000 inmates. According to eyewitnesses, in some of the wards the prisoners have to sleep on the steps and in the corridors. The situation is similar in several other Iranian prisons, and it seems that mass execution of the death row prisoners is one of the solutions Iranian authorities have sought to overcrowded prisons in Iran.

Human rights groups published the first reports on secret executions in Vakilabad prison in 2010. According to the estimates at least 500 prisoners were executed in 2010-2011. Names of more than 100 executed prisoners were published in 2011. The executions halted in 2011 due to international attention. However, the executions have resumed and according to IHR's conservative estimates that about 500 prisoners are executed in this prison since October 2012.

Secret Mass Executions Resume in Mashhad's Vakilabad Prison: Several Hundred Prisoners Possibly Executed In Past Four Months

Iran Human Rights — 2013-02-03T23:29:47Z

Iran Human Rights, February 3: According to reports from reliable sources in Iran, as many as 400 prisoners may have been executed in Vakilabad Prison, Mashhad. According to the sources, there have been secret executions of prisoners taking place every Wednesday and Sunday, but there are also reports of executions up to three times a week. No detailed information is available on the amount of prisoners executed, but at least on one occasion the number of executions were as high as 50 people. Sources say as many as 400 prisoners may have been executed in the past four or five months.

Sources say weekly executions are still taking place.

The information on these executions has been confirmed by two independent sources. Iran Human Rights (IHR) will publish more details when available.

IHR and several other human rights organizations warned in September 2010 about secret mass executions in Vakilabad Prison. According to IHR's annual reports on the death penalty in Iran, at least 226 prisoners were executed in 2010 and 133 prisoners were executed in 2011. More than 200 additional reported executions were not included in the reports due to lack of details.

Iran saw a temporary halt in executions in late 2011 as a result of international attention on the issue.

IHR urges the international community to react to reports of secret mass executions in Vakilabad Prison. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR said: "We ask the UN to conduct a fact-finding mission in Iran to urgently investigate reports of mass executions in Vakilabad Prison."

UPDATE on Unofficial Reports of a Juvenile Execution in Iran

Iran Human Rights — 2013-01-23T09:25:33Z

Iran Human Rights, 24. January: On January 16 Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on the execution of two prisoners in Rajai Shahr Prison, Karaj (west of Tehran). The report quoted an unofficial source that stated one of the people executed was a "juvenile offender", identified as Ali (Kianoosh) Naderi.

IHR investigated this case and has concluded that Mr. Naderi was born on 26 October, 1990. According to official reports, the alleged offence that Mr. Naderi was charged with took place on 12 November, 2008.

Mr. Naderi was reportedly 18 years and 16 days at the time of committing the alleged offence, therefore he is not considered to be a juvenile offender.

IHR regards execution as a barbaric punishment and condemns the Iranian authorities for practicing medieval punishments and promoting violence and brutality in society.

U.N. Committee Condemns Human Rights Abuses in Iran

Zanyar — 2012-11-28T22:19:57Z

Iran Human Rights, November 28, 2012: A resolution on the human rights situation in Iran was passed by the U.N. Third Committee on Tuesday, November 27.

The resolution, which was drafted by Canada and co-sponsored by other countries, received 83 votes in favour, 31 against, and 87 abstentions.

According to Reuters, formal voting on the resolution will take place next month "at plenary sessions of the General Assembly."

Among other human rights violations in Iran, the resolution criticized the "continuing alarming high frequency of the carrying-out of the death penalty (in Iran) in the absence of internationally recognized safeguards, including an increase in the number of public executions."

Reuters reports that the resolution on Iran "received more yes votes than a year ago, when a similar text was approved with 80 in favor, 44 against and 57 abstentions."

International reactions to the executions in Iran: UN Special Rapporteurs outraged with recent executions in Iran

Iran Human Rights — 2012-10-23T18:48:51Z

Iran Human Rights, October 23: International condemnation of the execution of Saeed Sedighi and nine other prisoners in Iran continue.

After the Norwegian government expressed its concernover the excutions, three UN Special Rapporteurs published a statement :

GENEVA (23 October 2012) – Three United Nations independent experts on the situation of human rights in Iran, summary executions and torture expressed outrage today at the execution on 23 October of Saeed Sedighi and nine others on drug-related crimes in Iran.

“We deeply deplore the recent executions and the continuing reports of individuals detained who remain at risk of executions for charges that do not amount to the ‘most serious crimes,' as defined by international human rights law,” stressed the UN Special Rapporteurs on Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, on extrajudicial executions, Christof Heyns, and on torture, Juan E. Méndez.

Mr. Sedighi was executed despite repeated calls by the international community including a number of independent experts of the Human Rights Council, not to do so. “We urgently call on the Iranian authorities to heed to the recurrent calls of the international community not to carry out further executions.”

“It is disturbing enough that the Iranian authorities continue to execute individuals whose alleged crimes do not conform to ‘most serious' standards under international law en masse,” said the Council-appointed experts. “It is all the more unacceptable that the Government proceeds with executions, without a reasoned response, when serious concerns related to due process are raised by multiple international actors.”

Mr. Sedeghi was sentenced to death on 2 June 2012 for drug-related offences, which do not constitute the most serious crimes punishable with a death sentence under international human rights law. He reportedly did not receive a fair trial and was also allegedly subjected to torture during his detention.

On 12 October, the human rights experts called on the Government of Iran to halt the executions of Mr Sedighi and other prisoners on death row, and to establish a moratorium on execution. “The right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights and no one should be deprived of this right in an arbitrary way, especially not through legal processes that go against international standards,” stressed the Special Rapporteur on Iran.

Concerns also remain about the fairness of the trials of drug-related offenders who get the death penalty in Iran. The experts pointed out that international law, including as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a State party, requires compliance with the most rigorous fair trial standards in cases where death sentences are imposed.

“We urge the Islamic Republic of Iran to impose an official moratorium with immediate effect on the use of the death penalty, especially in drug-related cases,” the three UN Special Rapporteurs said.

ENDS

For more information log on to: Special Rapporteur on Iran: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/A... Summary executions: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Exec... Torture: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Tort...

Human rights groups urge UN to cease anti-drug trafficking funding until Iranian authorities renounce use of death penalty for drug-related offences

Iran Human Rights — 2012-10-10T01:21:40Z

Iran Human Rights, October 10: On the World Day against the Death Penalty, Iran Human Rights (IHR) together with four other NGOs dedicated to human rights issues inside Iran and the cessation of the death penalty have called for a moratorium on international funding to Iran's anti-drug trafficking programs until such time the Islamic Republic renounces its policy of execution for those convicted of drug-related offenses.

The full text of the letter calling for the moratorium can be read below or downloaded here. The Farsi version of the letter can be read here.

According to reports from human rights groups that document executions in Iran from both official and unofficial sources, roughly 650 executions were carried out in 2010 and 676 in 2011. So far, in 2012, at least 330 individuals have been executed. Of these executions, it is estimated that more than 70% are of individuals sentenced to death under the Islamic Republic's Anti-Narcotics Law, which mandates the death penalty for a wide range of drug-related offenses.

The letter—which is jointly signed by Justice for Iran, Iran Human Rights, Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, Arseh Sevom and Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM)—addresses its concerns to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and country donors including Norway, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Ireland and Japan which provide funding to the Islamic Republic's anti-drug trafficking programs.

Shadi Sadr, Executive Director of London-based Justice for Iran, says “Our research shows how thousands of people, including women who are the single-income providers for their children, have been sentenced to death without minimum standards of due process whilst Iranian judges and other authorities that bear responsibility in these severe violations of human rights enjoy absolute impunity.”

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, spokesperson for Iran Human Rights—a Norwegian-based group that focuses on documenting executions in Iran—maintains that “the fact that Iranian authorities execute several hundred people every year on drug-related charges, and then proudly announce these executions, shows that the nature of international collaboration in combating the trafficking of illegal drugs through Iran may be sending the wrong signals to the Iranian authorities. Any aid provided to Iran to fight drug trafficking must be contingent on whether the Iranian authorities are willing to abolish the death penalty for drug-related charges.”

Gissou Nia, Executive Director of the US-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, further notes that “though largely cosmetic, the Islamic Republic of Iran's recent amendments to its Islamic Penal Code that purport to abolish stoning for adultery and juvenile executions demonstrate that the IRI does care about international perceptions of its execution laws. In contrast, the IRI has only made mandatory execution laws for drug-related offenses even harsher in recent years. The international community must send a strong message, not only through words but through a cut-off of funding to Iran's anti-drug trafficking programs, that the high numbers of executions in Iran is unacceptable.”

While human rights groups have raised concerns to the Iranian government about the mandatory death sentencing for drug-related offenses, the Iranian authorities have failed to respond to this criticism in any meaningful fashion. The letter calls on UNODC and donor countries to stop funding the Islamic Republic's anti-drug trafficking programs until the Islamic Republic ceases its application of the death penalty to those convicted of drug-related offenses.

Letter:

To: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Governments of Norway, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Ireland & Japan

Cc: Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran

United Nations Human Rights Council

European Union

We, the undersigned organizations, strongly oppose the continuing use of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are concerned that the Islamic Republic's radical policies, which allegedly aim to eradicate drug-trafficking and result in the execution of several hundred prisoners every year, are supported in part by international funding.

Of the countries that continue to apply the death penalty in their domestic jurisdictions, the Islamic Republic leads in number of executions per capita. Many of these executions are conducted in secret and go unreported by official sources.

According to reports from human rights groups that document executions in Iran from both official and unofficial sources, roughly 650 executions were carried out in 2010 and 670 in 2011. At the time of the publication of this statement, at least 329 individuals have been executed in 2012. Of these executions, it is estimated that more than 70% are for drug-related offenses.

Pursuant to Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a State Party, countries that have not abolished the death penalty may only sentence someone to death for the “most serious crimes”. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the ICCPR by its State parties, has found on numerous occasions that drug-related offenses do not meet the criterion of “most serious crimes.”

Nonetheless, Iranian authorities have been unabashed in their application of the death penalty to individuals convicted of drug-related offenses. In June 2011, Mahmoud Zoghi, the prosecutor of Mashhad, said: “Considering the number of cases we have had, these many hangings are proportionally adequate. Foreign media is exaggerating the issue for no reason.”

The Islamic Republic's Anti-Narcotics Law mandates the death penalty in cases of possession or trafficking of more than a specified amount of various drugs. The range of offenses punishable by death was broadened with a series of amendments to the Anti-Narcotics Law that came into force in January 2011. The amended law mandates the death penalty for a wider range of illegal drugs—including the possession or trafficking of more than 30 grams of methamphetamine.

According to reports from human rights groups, many of those executed are arrested on spurious charges of alleged drug trafficking, are interrogated without a lawyer present, have confessions extracted under torture admitted as evidence against them in court, are convicted without legal counsel or the ability to review the evidence against them and sentenced to death without a right of appeal.

Too often, the targets of these sweeping anti-drug laws are the most vulnerable members of Iranian society. Poor and marginalized groups, including ethnic minorities and foreign nationals who have been historically discriminated against by the Iranian government, are targeted by the Islamic Republic's drug laws, as are single mothers who, with no other means to support their children, engage in drug trafficking to feed their children.

In addition to the cruel and inhumane treatment of those sentenced to death under these anti-drug laws, the imposition of the mandatory death penalty for these offenses has a deleterious effect on Iranian society as a whole. Executions carried out at large public gatherings, often with young children in attendance, have the effect of normalizing the use of the death penalty and state-sanctioned violence in Iranian society.

Also, while Iranian officials maintain that execution of drug traffickers is effective in combating the abuse and sale of drugs, there is no clear evidence to support this. Many of those executed are not at the top of the drug sale chain and drug use in Iran is on the rise. Recent statistics on opiate abuse place Iran second in the world in the percentage of the population using opiates, exceeded only by Afghanistan. The rate of addiction to high-potency heroin is also on the rise, especially among the youth.

While human rights groups have raised concerns to the Iranian government about the mandatory death sentencing for drug-related offenses, the Iranian authorities have failed to respond to this criticism in any meaningful fashion. At the same time, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and country donors including Norway, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Belgium, Ireland and Japan provide funding to the Islamic Republic for its anti-drug trafficking programs.

While we appreciate that country donors are trying to stop the flow of drugs into Europe and North America, the efforts of these Western governments should not result in human rights abuses in Iran and similarly situated countries. With no reason to believe it will be penalized by an international community that in fact funds these efforts, the Islamic Republic has continued its ongoing campaign of executing individuals for drug-related offenses with virtual impunity. Efforts by human rights defenders and others to request information through official channels about the nature of UNODC's support to the Islamic Republic have been met with vague or otherwise unresponsive answers.

In light of the reasons enumerated above, we, the undersigned, set forth the following demands to the international community, including UNODC, states that donate or have donated in the past to UNODC, or other international government organizations engaged in anti-drug trafficking initiatives with the Islamic Republic:

Immediately halt the provision of any monetary funds, services or other resources to the Iranian authorities for anti-drug trafficking purposes until such time the Iranian government renounces its policy of executing individuals for drug-related offenses.

Demand that until the Iranian government renounces the policy of execution for drug-related offenses, funds only be used for treatment and other anti-drug initiatives unrelated to law enforcement.

Impose strict transparency guidelines on any funding intended for treatment and other anti-drug initiatives unrelated to law enforcement, with strict guidelines on amounts and a detailed reporting of its specific use.

Signed on this 10th day of October 2012 (International Day against the Death Penalty) by:

Arseh Sevom

Iran Human Rights

Iran Human Rights Documentation Center

Justice for Iran

Together against the Death Penalty/ Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM)

UN Special Rapporteurs condemn ongoing executions in Iran

Iran Human Rights — 2012-06-28T15:15:16Z

Iran Human Rights, June 28: In a press release published today the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Iran, summary executions and torture condemned the recent execution of four members of the Ahwazi Arab minority in Ahwaz's Karoun Prison in Iran. They also referred to the unfair nature of the trials in Iran and said: "Any death sentence undertaken in contravention of those international obligations is tantamount to an arbitrary execution".

Iran Human Rights welcomes the the statement by the UN Special Rapporteurs. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of the IHR said: " This is a very important statement and we hope that the UN and the member countries take practical steps to stop the execution machine in Iran".

The Statement:

GENEVA (28 June 2012) – Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs* on Iran, summary executions and torture condemned the recent execution of four members of the Ahwazi Arab minority in Ahwaz's Karoun Prison in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Following a reportedly unfair trial, they were sentenced to death and executed on or around 19 June 2012.

“Given the lack of transparency in court proceedings, major concerns remain about due process and fairness of trials in cases involving the death penalty in Iran,” said the independent human rights experts, recalling the execution of Abdul Rahman Heidarian, Abbas Heidarian, Taha Heidarian and Ali Sharif. The four men, three of whom are brothers, were reportedly arrested in April 2011 during a protest in Khuzestan and convicted of Moharebeh (enmity against God) and Fasad-fil Arz (corruption on earth).

“Under international law, the death penalty is the most extreme form of punishment, which, if it is used at all, should be imposed only for the most serious crimes,” they said. “Defendants in death penalty cases should also receive fair trial guarantees stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Iran in 1975.”

“Any death sentence undertaken in contravention of those international obligations is tantamount to an arbitrary execution,” the three UN Special Rapporteurs stressed.

The rights experts noted with concern the high numbers of executions carried out in public, despite a circular issued in January 2008 by the Iranian Chief Justice that banned public executions. At least 25 executions have been carried out in public this year.

“Executions in public add to the already cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of the death penalty and can only have a dehumanizing effect on the victim and a brutalizing effect on those who witness the execution,” the independent experts underscored.

The Special Rapporteurs regretted that the authorities continue to apply the death penalty with alarming frequency, despite numerous calls to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish a moratorium on executions. At least 140 executions are known to have been carried out since the beginning of 2012, with some sources indicating the figure to be as high as 220. The majority of these are for drug-related offences, which the experts do not believe constitute the "most serious crimes" as required by international law.

The UN independent experts urged the Iranian authorities “to halt immediately the imposition of the death penalty for crimes which do not constitute the most serious crimes, as well as ensure stringent respect for fair trial guarantees.”

(*) The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmed Shaheed; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns; and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez.

ENDS