Iran Executes Two Armed Robbers in Public Over Police Officer's Murder Amid Surge in Executions

On Monday, Iranian authorities executed two men publicly in the city of Khomein, located in the central Markazi province, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online. The execution was carried out due to the men's involvement in the killing of a police officer during an armed robbery nearly four years ago . The execution marks a rare occurrence in Iran, as the country predominantly conducts death sentences by hanging but seldom carries out public executions.

Iran executes 2 men in public

The convicts had shot and killed the police officer while attempting to evade arrest after engaging in clashes with law enforcement. International rights groups, including Amnesty International, report that Iran has the highest annual execution rate after China. The number of executions in 2023 reached its highest level since 2015, reflecting a substantial 48% increase from 2022 and a staggering 172% increase compared to 2021, according to Amnesty's findings. Furthermore, Human Rights Watch revealed that Iran executed at least 87 individuals just last month, with 29 executions occurring in a single day.

These alarming trends in Iran's use of capital punishment have drawn condemnation from various human rights organizations, with Nahid Naghshbandi, the acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, criticizing the Iranian authorities for what she described as an "egregious execution spree" amidst the backdrop of their recent presidential elections. The Iranian government employs capital punishment for serious offenses, including murder, drug trafficking, and cases of rape and sexual assault. The frequency and scale of executions in Iran have raised significant concerns among the international community regarding the country's adherence to human rights standards.