Iran-focused rights groups on Thursday said that executions in Iran surged by 75% in 2022.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty said in a report that 582 executions were documented in 2022, the highest in Iran since 2015, in comparison to 333 carried out in 2021.
'Once again (the death penalty has been) used as an ultimate tool of intimidation and oppression by the Iranian regime in order to maintain the stability of its power,' said the NGOs in their joint statement.
'In order to instill fear among the population and young protesters, authorities have intensified the executions of prisoners sentenced for reasons other than political ones,' added IHR Director Mahmood Amiry Moghaddam.
Iran witnessed several death penalty sentences for people accused of joining mass protests across Iran following the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in September last year while in police custody after she was detained in Tehran for violating the mandatory hijab norms.
Western countries subsequently imposed a slew of sanctions on Iranian officials and entities, accusing them of repression against protesters. Iranian officials, in turn, blamed the US and its European allies for "instigating rioters."
Source: Anadolu Agency