Executions in Iran have increased by 75% since the death of Mahsa Amini

Executions in Iran have increased by 75 percent in the two years since the death of young Mahsa Amini, which sparked protests under the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom,” the non-governmental organization (NGO) Iran Human Rights reported on Monday.

At least 1,425 people have been executed in Iran since September 16, 2022almost double the number of executions in the two years prior to the protests, when 815 were recorded, the Oslo-based NGO reported in a statement published on Monday and cited by the EFE agency.

The application of The death penalty for drug-related offences increased by 162%. in the same period, from 302 to 796 after the start of protests against the Iranian regime.

Executions related to political charges such as rebellion, corruption on earth or enmity toward God also increased by 84%, from 31 to 57.

Taking these data into account, the NGO Iran Human Rights calls on the international community to investigate the use of the death penalty in Iran as part of the repression of protests by the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement.

“The death penalty is the Islamic Republic’s most important tool for creating fear in society, with the aim of suppressing protests and preventing new ones,” said Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the NGO.

This Monday marks two years since the death of Mahsa Amini. Arrested by Iranian customs police on September 13, 2022, allegedly for not wearing the Islamic veil correctly, the young Iranian woman ended up dying three days later, still in police custody.

Mahsa Amini’s death sparked a wave of protests for women’s rights. ‘It could be the harbinger of a new era in Iran’

Amini’s death was followed by protests that lasted for months and were brutally suppressed by the Iranian authorities.

According to Iran Human Rights, at least 551 protestersAmong them 68 minors and 49 women, died at the hands of the police during the protests.