Iran executed 582 people in 2022: Reports

 

The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran executed 582 individuals in 2022, a 75% increase from 2021, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM).

The human rights groups said in a report on Thursday that four people were hanged for taking part in the protests ignited by the death of a young Iranian woman late last year.

The two groups called Iran an "execution machine." The two groups condemned Iran for executing people. Iran also executed 151 people so far this year, according to these two groups.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, a Norwegian-Iranian neuroscientist and human rights advocate as well as Iran's Human Rights Director, condemned the execution of the four protesters. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam reportedly said, “To compensate, and in order to spread fear among people, the authorities have intensified the execution for non-political charges. Every execution in Iran is political, regardless of the charges.”

According to human rights groups, most people were executed on drug-related charges. Last year, 49% of the executions were over murder charges.

According to Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw rights groups, the Iranian authorities executed Mohayyedin Ebrahimi, 43, at Urmia prison. He was arrested in 2017 during a clash with Iranian border guards. He was imprisoned for over five years. Later on, the Iranian authorities executed him. His family was called to collect his body.

In December 2022, Majidreza Rahnavard was executed amid ongoing anti-government and anti-hijab demonstrations. He was convicted on the charge of “moharebeh” (war against God) over allegedly stabbing two Iranian security force members to death.

The anti-government and anti-hijab protests began in September 2022 after the death of a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the morality police in Tehran. The protests became one of the greatest challenges to the Iranian regime.