Execution of Prisoners in Iran Reaches an All Time High
by 
Hooman Rowshan
February 04, 2011
Hooman Rowshan
February 04, 2011 TEHRAN---- The Islamic Republic of Iran is executing prisoners at an alarming rate. According to International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Iran is executing one person every eight hours. Since the beginning of 2011, Iran has executed 87 people on various charges.
Many of those given death sentences are political prisoners who oppose the cleric rule in Iran.
According to Aaron Rhodes of International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, “the Iranian Judiciary is on an execution binge orchestrated by the intelligence and security agencies”.
Iranian judges are widely believed to lack independence and their decisions are frequently subordinated to the wishes of security agencies.
The actual number of prisoners executed in Iran is difficult to verify but many believe is higher than is reported.
Mass executions are sometimes carried out in Iranian prisons. This year, more than hundred people were executed in a mass hanging in Vakilabad prison, according to International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
The high rate of executions in Iran has prompted the UN to call on Iran to halt its execution of prisoners.
Several Iranians with dual citizenships or permanent residency abroad have been arrested and sentenced to death by Iranian courts.
Last month, Iran executed an Iranian woman with Dutch citizenship. Another Iranian citizen residing in Canada has been sentenced to death but that sentence has not yet been carried out.
The Dutch government has suspended its formal relations with Iran over the hanging of Zahra Bahrami, an Iranian with Dutch citizenship.
A spokesperson from the Canadian government expressed concern over the death sentence issued against an Iranian computer programmer and a permanent residence of Canada.
In 2003, an Iranian-Canadian journalist was arrested and later murdered by Iranian security agents while in a Tehran prison.
The 54 year old Zahra Kazemi was brutally tortured and raped in the hands of her Iranian interrogators. Canadian-Iranian relations have been frosty ever since.
Tags: Iran , Death Sentence , Zahra Bahrami , Mass Execution
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