62 > 62 > 62 > Supreme Commissioner of the UN Human Rights Folker Turk (Archive). The Supreme Commissar of the UN Human Rights was called to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty Human rights The Supreme Commissar of the UN Human Rights Folker Türk expressed deep concern about the sharp increase in the number of executions in Iran this year and called for the immediate introduction of the moratorium on the execution of death sentences. According to the UN, in the first half of 2025 in Iran, at least 612 death sentences were executed, which is more than twice the indicator for the same period of 2024, when there were at least 297 executions. Human rights activists are particularly disturbed by the fact that among the executed are still disproportionately many representatives of national minorities. ~ 60 > “At least 48 people are waiting for the execution of the death sentence, of which 12 risk being executed in the near future,” Folker said Turk. ~ 60 > more than 40 percent of the executed this year were convicted of charges related to drugs. Others – according to vague formulations, such as “enmity with God”, which are often used by the authorities to suppress dissent and political opponents. ~ 60 > according to the Turk, the trials in many cases go behind closed doors and systematically violate the basic principles of justice and fair judicial Proceedings. ~ 60 > at the moment the Iranian Constitution Council is considering a bill that significantly expands the definition of “cooperation with hostile states.” The law providing for the death penalty for espionage may fall under the law such as communication on the Internet, cooperation with foreign media and even “ideological disagreement”. The Supreme Commissioner called this bill “dangerous” and called for its cancellation. ~ 60 > “The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and is unacceptable in terms of human dignity. I urge Iran to join the world movement for the abolition of the death penalty and start with the introduction of the moratorium, ”concluded Folker Turk. 62 ~