UN CHIEF WARNS OF EXECUTION SURGE IN IRAN ON SECURITY CHARGES

At least 56 people have been executed in Iran on national security-related charges since 19 March, according to a statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk released on Wednesday. The executions include 27 people in cases linked to nationwide protests that occurred in January. Türk warned that state-sanctioned capital punishment was being deployed to suppress public opposition and instil fear among the population. He urged Iranian authorities to halt all executions immediately and move towards abolition of the death penalty.

The UN Human Rights Office said more than 100 other people remained at risk of execution on similar security charges, whilst executions for drug-related offences continued at what the office described as an "alarming rate". Türk highlighted systemic failures in the Iranian legal system, stating that persistent absence of fair trial and due process guarantees was "deeply troubling". According to reports received by the rights office, confessions leading to capital verdicts had allegedly been obtained under torture and other ill-treatment. The UN also expressed concern over the speed and secrecy of proceedings, with several executions reportedly carried out only weeks after arrest and 12 defendants sentenced to death following a single three-hour closed-door hearing.

Iran is considered the world's second-most prolific executioner after China, according to figures cited by Amnesty International. The rights group recorded at least 2,159 executions in Iran in the previous year, describing it as the highest figure on record since 1981. Activists have warned that Iranian authorities might increase use of executions against opponents following January's protests, during which thousands of demonstrators were killed and tens of thousands detained. The Iranian government has not yet responded to Türk's statement.