UN warns Iran has executed at least 56 people since March
The UN also warned that more than 100 other people are currently at risk of execution on similar national security charges
The United Nations on Wednesday said Iran has executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, warning that the country is increasingly using the death penalty to suppress dissent and intimidate the population.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said 27 of those executed had been convicted in cases linked to anti-government protests, according to UN data.
"I am alarmed by the increase in executions and death sentences handed down in Iran since March, as well as by the continued use of the death penalty to instill fear in the population and suppress dissent," Türk said in a statement.
The UN also warned that more than 100 other people are currently at risk of execution on similar national security charges.
Türk expressed concern over what he described as the continued use of capital punishment beyond protest-related cases, highlighting the large number of executions carried out for drug-related offenses.
He urged Iranian authorities to immediately halt all executions and begin a process toward abolishing the death penalty, while also raising concerns over due process, defendants' rights, and the fairness of trials leading to death sentences.
The Iranian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Iranian authorities have consistently defended their judicial system, saying legal proceedings comply with national law and arguing that the death penalty remains necessary to protect public safety and national security.
Iran is among the countries that carry out the highest number of executions worldwide, a practice that has drawn repeated criticism from the United Nations and international human rights organizations.