Despite a decrease in the number of executions, Iran continues to be the nation with one of the highest rates of executions in the world, mostly for drug-related crimes. According to Amnesty International, Iran executed a reported 567 people in 2016. In 2015, the number was 977. Still, at 567 people, Iran was executing more than one person a day. This issue has been openly discussed in one of the unlikeliest places: Iran’s judiciary.
Hojat al-Islam Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for Iran's judiciary, in a Aug. 9 speech addressed Iran’s high execution rate with respect to drug-related crimes. “Do we want to solve all of our problems with punishments and increasing punishments?” he asked. “Some say, you have increased the punishment but there is still crime. On the issue of illegal drugs, we have laws from many years ago and many times [the punishment] has been increased and now they want to decrease it.”
Mohseni Ejei, a hard-liner who has held important positions in the Islamic Republic, including that of prosecutor general, intelligence minister and prosecutor for the Special Court for Clergy, also criticized Western organizations regarding their condemnations of Iran’s high execution rate. “Even if the executions for drug-related charges is lowered, Westerners will not say that we did right,” he said.
While Mohseni Ejei criticized those who want to eliminate the death penalty, he said he did not want his criticism of these people to be viewed as his supporting capital punishment. “I do not want to support the death penalty,” he said. He indicated that it might be a good idea to not resort to the death penalty so much in drug cases.
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