Iran Human Rights, or IHR’s report revealed that the government has executed more than 500 people across the country since the beginning of this year.
Norway-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) NGO has claimed in a statement that, this is the highest rate of executions in Iran in the last five years.
In addition, the organization pointed out that Iranian authorities had earlier on Sunday executed four people in a prison in the Rajai Shahr area of the City of Karaj, west of the country’s capital Tehran, on charges of “cooperating with Israeli intelligence”.
According to a report published by IHR, at least 333 people were executed throughout the country in 2021.
Meanwhile, according to Amnesty International, the number of recorded executions in Iran last year at 314, higher than any other country worldwide — it further said that while noting such data is not available for China. Whereas Amnesty believes the annual executions run into the thousands.
Iran has been rocked by protests since September 16, three days after the arrest of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini, by the Iranian police. After Mahsa’s death during custody, the country has witnessed large-scale demonstrations countrywide over many issues – These issues include restrictions on personal freedom and Iran’s strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab or headscarf.
Iranian security forces reportedly resorted to violence to deal with the protesters – 450 people have been killed in these violent acts and as per unrecorded circulating reports, thousands have been arrested.
However, The Iranian authorities have accused the United States, Israel, and the West of “interfering in the protests and planning to provoke protesters.”