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Amnesty “appalled” at group executions in Iran |
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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
Iran Focus
 London, Sep. 06 – The human rights organisation Amnesty International said it was “appalled” at the “spiralling numbers of executions” in Iran.
Authorities in Iran have executed at least 210 people including two child offenders since the start of 2007, the international human rights group said in a statement late Wednesday.
“Amnesty International is appalled at the reports of the execution of 21 people in Iran this morning”, it said.
The number of people executed this year in Iran has exceeded the 177 executions recorded in 2006, Amnesty said, adding that the true figure for both years was likely to be higher.
“Amnesty International has catalogued scores of unfair trials in recent years and the organisation is concerned that many of those executed today faced unfair trials, and a failure to ensure that fair trial safeguards in death penalty cases are implemented in all cases without exemption or discrimination”, the group said.
“The scope of capital crimes in Iran remains extraordinarily large and includes vaguely worded charges, such as ‘enmity against God’ (moharebeh ba Khoda) ‘being corrupt on earth’ (mofsed fil arz), which refer, inter alia, to those accused of using firearms against the state; carrying out acts of robbery and to those who are considered to be carrying out espionage against the government”, it said.
The organisation called on Iran to halt pending executions.
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