Intervention at the UN: Death penalty in Iran
12 March 2018
Extract of the intervention of Taimoor ALIASSI, representative of the Human Rights Association in Kurdistan of Iran in Geneva (KMMK-G) at the United Nations in Geneva. Monday March 12th 2018, United Nations, 37th Session of the Human Rights Council, Item 4 ” As highlighted by the Special Rapporteur, the Kurdish community remains one of the most oppressed groups in the country, with individuals persecuted, arrested, sentenced to death and executed because of their ethnic affiliations. In 2017, over 1,900 Kurds were detained by the authorities. Over 100 of them were charged with fabricated security-related crimes. Iran remains amongst the top executioners in the world, by executing more than 500 persons in 2017 according to the IHR and ECPM annual report. While the number of drug related executions was lower than previous years, number of qisas executions increased significantly. Iran also continues to use the death penalty against individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime of which they were convicted, and at a pace that appears to be accelerating. At least five such individuals were executed in 2017, and three more were put to death in January 2018 alone. Last year, in 2017, the Kurdish people in Iran endured again the highest number of executions, compared to other minority groups, with at least 74 Kurdish prisoners executed by the authorities. We are also extremely concerned by raising the number of Iranian Kurdish activists being targeted by bombing and assassination in Iraqi Kurdistan. Following statements by Iranian leading officials, who threaten Kurdish activists inside and outside country, two Kurdish activists Mr. Sabah Rahmani and Mr Qadir Qadiri were targeted by bomb and assassination in Erbil and Sulaimanya in Iraqi Kurdistan on 1st and 7th of March. We call on the international community to take this matter seriously and to protect the Kurdish citizens and activists inside and outside Iran. We also call on the international community to strongly encourage Iran to respect its international obligations, implement the new amendments to the Anti-narcotic law and put an end to executions. “