Notes on Executions in Iran and the World.

“Although I have lost two members of my family to assassination, I am firmly and explicitly against the death penalty for those who have been sentenced to death.”

These are the words of Coretta Scott King, a writer, activist, and one of the leaders of the American civil rights movement, and the wife of Martin Luther King. However, the fight against execution has a history of nearly two centuries. This approach took a legal form in the mid-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the death penalty was abolished in Venezuela, Portugal, Panama, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Colombia. After World War II and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the number of countries that abolished the death penalty increased rapidly. Today, in both the field of abolishing the death penalty and in countries that have not legally abolished it but do not carry it out, execution does not take place in nearly three-quarters of the world’s countries.

Only in 2022, four countries, Kazakhstan, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Central African Republic, have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, and by the end of 2022, 112 countries in the world have said no to what is called “state murder” and 24 countries have suspended the death penalty. This means that during the past decade, these countries either did not carry out the death penalty or only kept it for crimes committed during war (7 countries). Therefore, only 17% of the 195 countries in the world have reported carrying out the death penalty in the past 10 years. As Martin Luther King Jr. rightly reminds us, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

Execution of child criminals (individuals under 18 years old) is a sensitive subject that is strictly prohibited. Although the number of these executions in the world is low compared to the total number of executions, it is still a matter that cannot be ignored. Amnesty International reported that between 1990 and 2020, 152 individuals who were children at the time of their crime were executed in 10 countries around the world. These 10 countries include the United States, Iran, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, China, South Sudan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Yemen. Out of this number, 102 children were executed in Iran, which accounts for two-thirds of the total number.

The International Amnesty Organization’s 2022 report refers to the execution of at least 833 people (including 13 women) in 20 countries. This is a significant increase compared to the total number of executions in the world in 2021. It should be noted that some countries, including China, Vietnam, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Syria, do not report execution statistics at all.

The increase in total executions in the past year around the world compared to 2021 has mainly been due to the rise in executions in Western Asia and North Africa. Iran with 576, Saudi Arabia with 196, Egypt with 24, and the United States with 18 executions, are the top five countries that have deprived their citizens of the right to life.

The increase in executions for drug offenses has led to a sharp increase in these executions, which included a 93% increase compared to 2021 in Iran (from 132 to 255 people) and in Saudi Arabia, after a short pause in drug-related executions in 2022, the execution of 57 people was carried out. It should be noted that according to global research, although the number of women involved in drug trafficking is significantly lower than men, the rate of growth in female drug users and women involved in drug trafficking is higher than that of men.

The question that arises is whether the large number of executions for drug-related crimes in Iran over the past four decades has led to a decrease in cases of drug trafficking or consumption.

Even according to government-controlled media, the answer to this question is negative. Ali Hashemi, former head of the Independent Committee for Fighting Drugs in the Expediency Discernment Council, estimated last year in an interview with domestic news agencies that the official number of drug users is four million and 400 thousand, and stated that during the decade of 1384 to 1394, 630 thousand people were added to the number of drug users. He also mentioned that the new individuals who have been added as drug users are from the young population, which is a tragedy for the country’s human capital. In this interview, another alarming statistic was mentioned, which is the four-fold increase in addiction rates among adolescents. Hashemi also pointed out the reversal of the population growth rate in the country and stated that despite this issue, the rate of addiction growth is at least three times the population growth rate.

The former head of the Independent Committee for Fighting Drugs of the Expediency Discernment Council announced the number of arrests related to drug crimes in the year 1400, which was 409,000 addicts, traffickers, and small-scale drug dealers. This number indicates that in total, over the past forty-three years, out of approximately 19 million individuals arrested, 65% of them (including repeat offenders) were directly or indirectly involved in drug crimes. Ali Hashemi also referred to the “economic damage” of an addict, which was estimated at 800 million rials in one year, indicating the severity of this crisis. (1).

The “Global Harm Reduction Organization” in its detailed report titled “The Death Penalty for Drug-Related Crimes – Global Overview 2022” emphasizes that “the death penalty is a system that makes us forget our humanity. This system leads us to label other humans as undesirable and disposable. The death penalty is a gross injustice that only works when people are convinced to turn a blind eye and accept state violence.” This 54-page report delves into the inhumane and ineffective aspects of the death penalty in reducing crime and social harm.

Execution must be abolished; why?

The death penalty is a violation of international commitments and human rights. This punishment violates the third and fifth principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The death penalty, which means the legal killing of humans by governments, violates the right to life in the third principle of the declaration and is also a violation of the fifth principle, which emphasizes that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”

In addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, on December 16, 1966, a clause regarding the abolition of the death penalty was added to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 6, paragraph 1 of this covenant recognizes the right to life as an inherent personal right, and paragraph 2 states that “in countries where the death penalty has not been abolished, the death penalty shall not be imposed except for the most serious crimes” and “anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence.” In paragraph 5, the implementation of the death penalty for crimes committed by persons under the age of 18 and pregnant women is prohibited, and in order to expedite the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, paragraph 6 of this article stipulates that none of the provisions of this article can be used by states party to this covenant to delay or prevent the abolition of the death penalty. In January 1999, Pope

The sixth protocol of the “European Convention on Human Rights” also abolishes the death penalty for all crimes, and the “American Convention on Human Rights” also abolishes the death penalty and states that the death penalty is never an appropriate response to any crime. It should be noted that in 17 states of the United States, the death penalty is still being carried out. Additionally, 26 states have abolished the death penalty and 9 states have put an end to its implementation.

It is worth mentioning that the eighth resolution of the United Nations General Assembly to halt executions was approved on December 16, 2020 with 123 votes in favor, 38 votes against, 24 abstentions, and 8 absent votes.

The death penalty is irreversible punishment.

One of the most important reasons for abolishing the death penalty in the world is that if a judicial mistake occurs, this error will cost the life of an innocent person and it is irreversible and irreparable.

The non-governmental organization “Innocence Project” has reported that over the past 30 years in America, many individuals have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death. A study in 2014 estimated that at least 4% of those who were executed were innocent. In terms of racial discrimination, this project mentions that studies have repeatedly shown that race or the race of the victim plays a significant and determining role in the implementation of the death penalty. This issue is of vital importance in cases of wrongful convictions. In examining wrongful convictions, three-fourths of these cases involved black criminals, two-thirds involved Latinx criminals, and 60% involved white criminals. Additionally, the number of 300 black individuals who were sentenced to death for killing white individuals since 1976 is 17 times higher than the number of white individuals who were sentenced to death for killing a black individual. (3).

Recently, an Australian woman named Kathleen Folbigg, who had been sentenced to prison for the murder of her four infant children and had been in prison for 20 years, has been granted clemency. This clemency comes after new investigations that show all four of Mrs. Folbigg’s children most likely died of natural causes at the time and she did not suffocate them. This is despite the fact that if she had been sentenced to death and the Australian government had carried out this punishment, this mistake would have cost her life. Throughout these years, this woman has always emphasized her innocence. (4) It should be noted that the death penalty has been abolished in the laws of Australia as a whole.

The death penalty does not allow the criminal to return to society.‌

“Eye to eye, blinds the whole world..”

Mahatma Gandhi

In some countries, the concept of retribution is reduced to “personal revenge” in the majority Muslim population, and the decision about the criminal is left to the grieving family who have lost a loved one and are in a severe emotional, spiritual, and psychological state. The idea that the victim’s family is the “owner of blood” is a tribal concept and does not belong in the 21st century. The law should aim to humanize society and elevate the values of citizens by taking into account customs and backward beliefs.

Bob Curley, the father of a 10-year-old child named Jeffrey who was killed in Massachusetts, USA in 1997, had a key and commendable role in preventing the legalization of the death penalty in 2007. He says, “When Jeffrey was killed, I wanted the men who killed him to die. In 1997, I led the fight to bring back the death penalty in Massachusetts. But as time passed, I gained new insights. I saw that people in similar situations to mine, who had suffered the same damage as I did, were against the death penalty. This made me take a step back and reevaluate my stance on the death penalty. As a result, I became more aware of some of its challenges and my opinion changed.” Currently, the death penalty has been abolished in the state of Massachusetts.

Execution is a state-sanctioned killing.

Execution of criminals, especially in public, is a gruesome and unhealthy display of state-sanctioned murder. While execution instills fear and terror, it also promotes a culture of violence and normalizes taking human life. Execution is a symbol of a violent and aggressive culture.

Execution, in cases related to drug offenses where no murder has occurred, leads to the creation of violence and in murder cases, it leads to repeated murders. This is why Albert Camus, one of the most influential advocates for the abolition of the death penalty, argues that execution is a “false justice” and “state-sanctioned murder.” He says, “The science that claims to prove innocence or guilt has still not been able to bring back to life those it has killed.”

Kamu Dar.

I’m sorry, this text does not have a clear meaning in Farsi. It could be a name or a phrase without context. Can you provide more information or context so I can accurately translate it?

Reflections.

About Guyton Me.

The writer states: “The punishment of execution is as heinous as the crime itself, and… this new form of official murder not only does not compensate for the harm done to society, but also adds a fresh stain to the previous one.”

The death penalty is discriminatory.

Across the world, the highest punishment of execution is imposed on individuals who are socially and economically marginalized, on the fringes of society, and belong to religious, racial, or ethnic minorities. Limited access to lawyers and legal advisors, as well as discriminatory practices within the judicial system, make them more vulnerable to execution. While in America, African Americans, Native Americans, and Latinx individuals are in a disadvantaged position, in Iran, religious minorities, especially Baha’is, and ethnic minorities, particularly Kurds and Balochis, bear the highest cost for death sentences.

In the first five months of 2023, it has been reported that at least 173 people were executed for drug-related crimes, which is three times the number in the same period last year. The Baloch ethnic minority, who make up only 2-2.4% of Iran’s population, account for 20% of the recorded executions. Additionally, five individuals named “Mohammad Mehdi Karami”, “Seyed Mohammad Hosseini”, “Saleh Mirhashemi”, “Majid Kazemi”, and “Saeed Ya’qoubi” were executed in connection with the uprising and protests in the second half of 2022 (although “Mohsen Shokri” and “Majid Reza Rahnavard” were also executed in this context before the start of 2023). As stated by Bryan Stevenson, who has spoken about the death penalty in America, the death penalty is shaped by a cycle of poverty, race,

The reality is that when a government does not abolish the death penalty and state-sanctioned killings occur, not only is the right to life of a human being taken away, but it also strips away a little bit of our humanity each time.

Young and adolescent generations in Iran are spending their moments in a world that is moving towards abolishing executions. Therefore, if about three years ago the hashtag “No to Execution” trended on Persian Twitter, this year with the increase in horrifying executions, the hashtag “Rising Against Execution” has received more attention.

Justice can never be achieved by taking away the life of a human being, and morality cannot be preserved through legal murder; neither in Iran nor anywhere in the world.

Notes:

1- The old wound of addiction in Iran and the 800 million damage to the country per addict per year.

ISNA.

“5th of Mordad, 1401.”

2- For more information, refer to: .

Report.

The “Global Reduction Organization” regarding the year 2022.

3- For more information, refer to: .

Website.

“Innocent Project”

4- A report on the freedom of Kathleen Folbigg, a mother who was accused of killing her infants and was declared innocent after twenty years.

Sianan.

June 18, 2023.