Geneva [Switzerland], August 6: At least 56 people have been executed in Iran on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 in cases linked to nationwide protests at the start of the year, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.
In a statement released on Wednesday detailing a surge in capital punishment, Turk warned that state-sanctioned executions were being deployed to crush public opposition.
"I am alarmed by the rise in executions and death sentences issued in Iran since March, and that capital punishment continues to be used to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent," Turk said. "I urge the authorities to urgently halt all executions and move towards the abolition of the death penalty." (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
