Iran’s Assumes UN Human Rights Council Chair Despite Surge in Executions

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) –  Iran’s assumption of the chair of a United Nations human rights social forum on Thursday has drawn significant criticism, primarily due to Tehran’s extensive history of human rights violations and terrorism. In a troubling trend, Iran has experienced a sharp increase in executions, with at least 419 individuals executed in the first seven months of the year, marking a 30 percent rise compared to the same period in 2022, as revealed in a new report published by the United Nations.

The pace of executions in Iran has sharply escalated, particularly following widespread protests triggered by the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran in 2022, while under the custody of the notorious Iranian morality police for an alleged hijab violation.

In response to the unrest, Iranian authorities launched a severe crackdown, resulting in hundreds of casualties and thousands of injuries.

In the UN report, seven men were executed in connection to the protests in Iran triggered by Amini’s death.  In all seven cases, it was consistently observed that the legal proceedings did not meet the standards of due process and a fair trial as per international human rights law.

This data was initially disclosed in an October report by Javaid Rehman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. The report revealed evidence of confessions obtained under torture and executions following court proceedings that significantly violated the right to a fair trial.

Furthermore, the UN rights agency received information indicating that between September 17, 2022, and February 8, 2023, approximately 20,000 individuals were arrested for their involvement in the protests.

“It is particularly concerning that most of the individuals arrested may have been children, given that the reported average age of those arrested was estimated to be 15 years, according to the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,” stated the report.

Amnesty International has reported that the Tehran regime conducts more executions than any country globally, second only to China. They described Iran’s prisons as “killing fields.”

The Center for Human Rights in Iran, based in the U.S., has noted a significant surge in politically motivated executions in Iran, viewing capital punishment as a “tactic for intimidation and retribution.”

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