Executions in Iran Rose by 25% in 2021, NGOs Report
Executions in Iran rose by 25% last year, according to two human rights groups. At least 333 people were executed in 2021, according to a report issued on Thursday by the Norwegian NGO Iran Human Rights and the NGO Together Against the Death Penalty, based in France. It is a 25% increase over the previous year. The dramatic rise in executions came after the election of hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi. There were five times more executions for drug offenses over the previous year; in addition, at least 17 women were hanged. Over 80% of the executions were not officially announced, including all of those due to drug-related offenses, according to the report. Most prisoners executed for security-related charges were minorities, including ethnic Arabs, Balochs, and Kurds. For the first time in a decade, there were no public executions in the Islamic Republic in 2021.