UN rights chief alarmed by rise in Iran executions since March

Key Points:

• The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed alarm over the increase in executions in Iran, noting that capital punishment is being used to instill fear and suppress dissent, with at least 56 people executed on national security charges since March 19.
• More than 100 individuals face execution on similar charges, alongside a continuing high rate of executions for drug-related offenses; Iran is the world's second-largest executioner after China, with over 2,159 executions reported last year.
• Human rights groups and activists warn that executions may rise further following January's anti-government protests and recent conflicts, with concerns about unfair trials, forced confessions, and some executions carried out publicly and swiftly after arrest.
• Recent executions include two men convicted of spying for Israel and others charged with "enmity against God" related to protests, highlighting the Iranian judiciary's harsh response to perceived security threats.
• The UN urged Iran to halt all executions and move toward abolishing the death penalty, emphasizing that such punishment has no place in the modern world, while Iran maintains that capital punishment is reserved for the most severe crimes.