Balochistan Human Rights Group: Today, Friday, August 9, 2024, Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern over the ongoing executions in Iran, stating that reports indicate that the authorities of the Islamic Republic have executed at least 29 individuals across Iran.
Mr. Türk added, “The execution of these individuals in such a short period is very concerning,” noting that 38 individuals were also executed in July. The number of reported executions this year has reached at least 345, with 15 of them being women.
According to this report, Volker Türk mentioned that the executed individuals were mostly convicted of drug-related offenses or murder, and almost half of the executions since the beginning of 2024 have been for drug-related offenses.
Mr. Türk also stated that the United Nations has many concerns regarding the violation of legal and procedural standards, as well as fair trials in many of these cases, with several executions carried out without informing the prisoner’s family or legal counsel. An example of this is the execution of Reza Rasaei, a 34-year-old protester from Sahneh in Kermanshah province and a follower of the Yarsan faith.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights further added, “Minorities, including Kurds, Ahwazi Arabs, and Balochs, continue to be disproportionately represented in these executions.”
He emphasized that the time has come for Iran to join the growing global consensus to abolish the death penalty.
It is worth noting that in 2023, at least 184 Baloch prisoners were executed on various charges in 26 different cities across Iran, with Zahedan prisons accounting for 54 and Birjand for 31 of these inhumane executions. Among these prisoners, there were at least four women.
