News Center- UN experts expressed alarm over a surge in executions during the month of August 2024 and urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately stop the execution of people facing the death penalty.

At least 81 individuals were executed in August, twice as many as the 45 executions reported in July, based on information received by the experts. The reported number of executions this year has risen to above 400 individuals, among them 15 women, a group of 11 independent United Nations rights experts said in a statement on Monday.

“We are deeply concerned by this sharp rise in executions. According to information received, of the 93 executions in August, only a fraction is officially reported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, highlighting the urgent need for transparency,” they said.

UN experts recalled the execution of Reza (Gholamreza) Rasaei, a Kurdish protester of the Yarsani faith, on August 6 at Dizel Abad prison. “The Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence despite co-defendants retracting their testimonies about Rasaei’s involvement in the murder, and despite a forensic medical examiner providing testimony challenging Rasaei’s involvement in the murder,” the statement said.

“Reports of serious violations of fair trial and due process rights mean that the death penalty as it is currently practiced in the Islamic Republic of Iran amounts to unlawful execution,” UN experts said, renewing their appeal to Iranian authorities to halt executions of all individuals sentenced to death.