The monitoring group Iran Human Rights reported Jan. 6 that at least 31 women were executed in the country in 2024, which marks the highest annual toll since the group began tracking executions in the Islamic Republic 17 years ago. The report found that between 2010 and 2024, at least 241 women were executed in Iran. Approximately 70% of them were accused of killing their male partners, often in the context of an abusive marriage, including child brides. However, Iran's judiciary does not recognize mitigating circumstances such as spousal abuse or marital rape under sharia law. Furthermore, Iran's practice of qisas (retributive justice) allows the victim's family to demand either execution, forgiveness or diyya (blood money). The doctrine has contributed to the surge in the execution of women.

Iran's anti-narcotics law also contributed to the disproportionate impact of capital punishment on women. Even though a 2017 reform reduced drug-related executions initially, drug-related death penalties surged to a record high over the last nine years. The group asserted that many women faced capital punishment even though they did not intend to commit the crime, either being coerced or unaware of their involvement.

The opacity of the Iranian judicial system also exacerbates gender inequalities. It is believed that only 26% of executions involving women are publicly disclosed, with this rate dropping to an average of 12% since 2021. In addition, the number of female prisoners on death row remains unknown. Among them are Kurdish activists Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, who may face execution in the coming months.

Iran's widespread use of capital punishment is said to violate Article 6(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which provides that the death penalty may only be imposed for the most serious crimes. In August, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Iranian authorities to impose a moratorium on the death penalty. Several UN experts also expressed concerns over severe violations of fair trial and due process rights, demanding an end to the practice in September. Additionally, Maryam Rajavi, an Iranian dissident politician and leader of the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), has put forth a 10-point plan that positions the abolition of the death penalty as a central element of Iran's future.

Following the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests of 2022 and the introduction of the "Noor Plan" to enforce "proper hijab" in April 2024, Iranian authorities have escalated their targeting of women through capital punishment.

From JURIST, Jan. 6. Used wit permission.

See our last report on the 2022-3 protests in Iran.