AiBotTEHRAN, IRAN – The contentious issue of capital punishment continues to polarize public opinion in Iran, with many international advocates calling for a complete abolition of the death penalty. However, a closer examination of the crimes for which death sentences are issued reveals a stark reality: many of the individuals meting out justice to are responsible for gruesome, heinous offenses that raise questions over the nature of justice.
According to Amnesty International, Iran ranks as one of the world’s top executioners, with an estimated 369 people put to death in 2022. Critics claim that the execution of individuals for non-lethal offenses such as drug trafficking and blasphemy contravenes international human rights standards. Nonetheless, a review of Iran’s court records reveals an abundance of cases involving perpetrators whose crimes can only be described as despicable.
One such example is the case of a man who poisoned to death a couple in their fifties on their own wedding anniversary after being invited to dinner. Following a failed burglary attempt, the individual had set out to murder the pair in cold blood, demonstrating a calculated and heartless disregard for human life. Others include cases of serial killers, who preyed on children and the elderly with impunity, and a rapist-murderer responsible for the gruesome execution of at least 12 young women.
In another case, a group of robbers, armed with an array of knives, brutally terrorized their female victims in a crowded market before fleeing the scene. Their male counterparts, armed and attempting to rape a victim, also were handed death as punishment. Iran’s legal system has long maintained that the state has a moral obligation to protect its citizens from harm.
Furthermore, experts argue that public approval ratings of the death penalty in Iran can also be attributed to growing concerns over rising crime rates, particularly in major urban centers. In Tehran and cities nearby, the streets are increasingly becoming violent and unsafe. People’s personal experiences of crimes can have a direct influence on their perception of capital punishment.
While human rights advocates continue to express outrage over Iran’s continued use of the death penalty, a critical assessment of the country’s justice system reveals complex, intertwined factors that underlie the widespread use of capital punishment.