Iran has continued carrying out executions linked to security-related cases as international concern grows over the treatment of protesters and opponents, with rights experts warning that death sentences are being issued after trials that fail to meet basic legal standards.
The latest concerns come after the United Nations said dozens of people have been put to death since March in cases connected to national security charges, including individuals accused of taking part in January’s nationwide protests.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said at least 56 people had been executed since March 19 after being convicted on security-related charges, with 27 of those cases linked to the protests that swept across the country.
More than 100 other people remain at risk of execution after receiving similar charges, while authorities have also continued carrying out drug-related executions at a high rate.
Türk has called on Iranian authorities to stop all executions and move towards abolishing the death penalty, saying the punishment should have no place in modern society.
“Such punishment has no place in our world,” Türk said while expressing concern over the continued use of capital punishment.
The UN official also questioned the legal process behind several death sentences, saying many defendants were not given proper opportunities to defend themselves.
He said reports of forced confessions, torture and other forms of mistreatment had added to concerns about the fairness of the trials.
“Several executions have reportedly been carried out in public. Some have reportedly been carried out only weeks after arrest,” he said.
The UN also raised concerns over the case involving 12 defendants who were sentenced to death after a single hearing.
“Twelve defendants were reportedly sentenced to death following a single three-hour closed-door hearing.”
Rights groups have warned that the executions could increase following the January protests, during which thousands of demonstrators were reportedly killed and tens of thousands detained.
Activists have also linked the growing fears to the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran on February 28, warning that authorities could use security charges to target critics and opponents.
Iran has previously rejected criticism of its justice system and defended the use of the death penalty, saying it is only applied in cases involving “the most severe crimes”.
The country’s judiciary recently announced the execution of two men accused of spying for Israel.
Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat were convicted of sharing information, including images and coordinates of sensitive military, security and law enforcement locations, with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency.
The executions came as Iran continues to face scrutiny over cases involving people arrested during the protests.
Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that 19-year-old Arvin Kheirkhahan was executed after being convicted of “enmity against God” over his alleged involvement in the January unrest.
HRANA also reported that Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amirhossein Safari Hosseinabadi were executed publicly in Isfahan after being convicted alongside other defendants over the killing of four law enforcement officers on January 8.
The two were part of a group of 12 people sentenced to death on charges including “enmity against God” and “corruption on Earth”.
Two other defendants in the same case, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi, were executed on July 19.
UN human rights experts said the sentencing process for the 12 defendants raised serious concerns, arguing that the court proceedings did not provide enough information about each person’s individual responsibility.
The experts said the defendants were sentenced “in one hearing, in a closed courtroom and without clarity as to each defendant’s individual responsibility”, raising questions over whether fair trial standards were followed.