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Iran executed 853 people in 2023 \u2013 the highest number on record since 2015, according to a new report<\/a> in Amnesty International.<\/p>\n The surge in executions comes as Iran continues what Amnesty calls Iran\u2019s \u201cwar on drugs.\u201d In 2023, more than half \u2013 481 \u2013 of the total executions were for drug-related offenses.<\/p>\n The mass deployment of the death penalty comes after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi\u2019s election in 2021, when\u00a0Gholamhossein Eje\u2019i was also appointed head of the judiciary. Amnesty points to the \u201clethal shift\u201d in their anti-narcotics policy as a key driver of the spike in death sentences.<\/p>\n In 2023, total executions increased by 48 percent from 2022 and by 172 percent from 2021.<\/p>\n Drug-related offenses \u2013 which made up 56 percent of total executions in 2023 \u2013 saw that spike very acutely. In 2023, drug-related executions increased by 89 percent from 2022 and by 264 percent from 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cThe death penalty is abhorrent in all circumstances but deploying it on a mass scale for drug-related offences after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts is a grotesque abuse of power,\u201d said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty\u2019s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Islamic Republic\u2019s deadly anti-narcotics policies are contributing to a cycle of \u200epoverty and systemic injustice, and further entrenching \u200ediscrimination against marginalized communities, in particular Iran\u2019s oppressed Baluchi minority,\u201d Eltahawy continued.<\/p>\n The report noted that while the Baluchi minority accounts for only 5 percent of Iran\u2019s population, they accounted for 29 percent of drug-related executions, which Amnesty suggests demonstrates \u201cthe discriminatory effect of the authorities\u2019 anti-narcotics strategy on the most marginalized and impoverished communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The report also says that the deployment of the death penalty has been an outgrowth of the government\u2019s efforts to crack down on protests. In particular, Amnesty points to the \u201cWoman Life Freedom\u201d uprising of September-December 2022, which was a slogan that represented women\u2019s efforts for equal rights in Iran. That threat, however, has jolted the Iranian government into taking steps to scare people into silence.<\/p>\n Amnesty, in its report, called on the international community to call greater attention to this mass deployment of the death penalty.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout urgent action from the international community, drug-related executions will continue to rise, amid ongoing efforts by the judiciary, legislative and executive branches to enact a new lethal anti-narcotics law which, if adopted, would expand the range of drug charges incurring the death penalty,\u201d the report read.<\/p>\n For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n