54 countries demand an “immediate suspension” of the issuance and implementation of the death sentence in Iran

As Iran’s regime continues to violate international law by using criminal proceedings and executions as a weapon to “instill fear in the population,” representatives from 54 countries around the world called, through a joint statement, for an “immediate moratorium” on the issuance and execution of death sentences by the judicial system against citizens of Iran.

The statement, signed by countries participating in the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, noted death sentences for protesters in Iran and support for the demand of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to respect the lives and demands of the Iranian people.

Countries that signed the statement include Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, America, Uruguay, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands and Romania, according to Iran International.

“We are deeply concerned about the use of the death penalty in Iran,” the statement said. Hundreds of people, including teenagers, were reportedly executed between 2022 and 2023.

According to a report by human rights organizations, Iran has the highest rate of execution in the world and in many cases refuses to submit a formal or public report on the executions.

The statement confirmed that Iran’s regime has in recent months issued or sought to sentence dozens of people to death for participating in nationwide demonstrations after Amini’s death.

While four protesters (Mohsen Shekari, Majid Reza Rahnavard, Mohammad Hosseini, and Mohammad Mehdi Karami) have so far been executed by the Iranian regime, the signatory countries added, “We are concerned about the nature of the crimes for which the death penalty has been applied.”

They cited “speedy trial, a lack of transparency, credible reports that defendants had been unable to contact lawyers of their choice, and had been subjected to torture or other inhumane treatment.”

“No government should use the death penalty to punish people taking part in demonstrations and to intimidate people in order to placate opposition,” the statement’s signatories said.

Human rights group said 100 people have so far been sentenced to death or charged with crimes punishable by death over the protests in Iran.

The Norwegian-based Iranian Human Rights Organization (IHRW) stated that five women are at risk of execution, and warned that the real number of protesters facing the death penalty is believed to be much higher, as families are under pressure to remain silent.

Protests against the country’s clerical establishment have swept Iran since mid-September, following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old girl who was detained by Tehran’s morality police on September 13 for allegedly wearing a headscarf “improperly.”

The authorities have framed the protests as foreign-backed “riots” and responded with deadly force.