The United Nations warned on Wednesday of a wave of brutal repression that has seen at least 21 people executed and more than 4,000 detained since late February. According to UN High Commissioner Volker Türk, the Iranian regime is using the state of war to liquidate the domestic opposition and participants in the January protests.
At least nine people have been executed for the January protests, another 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups and two for espionage since the start of the Israeli-American attacks that triggered the conflict in the Middle East on February 28, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
Türk: The authorities continue to brutally deprive the Iranian people of their rights
At the same time, Iranian authorities detained an estimated 4,000 people on charges related to interference with national security, the office announced. Many detainees were victims of enforced disappearances, torture or “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”, including forced confessions – sometimes televised, the agency said, according to AFP.
“I am appalled that … the authorities continue to deprive the Iranian people of their rights in a cruel and brutal manner,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement.
The UN calls for a moratorium on the execution of the death penalty
“I call on the authorities to stop all further executions, establish a moratorium on the execution of the death penalty, fully ensure due process and fair trials, and immediately release those arbitrarily detained,” Türk stressed.
Iran as a leading executor of the death penalty
Iran executes more people each year than any other country except China, according to several human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.
