Special Rapporteur on the situation on human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran
A/67/369 para 80
Full Recommendation:
The Special Rapporteur continues to deplore the use of stoning as a form of capital punishment,
and continues to strongly urge the Government to enforce its moratorium on stoning, to
consider the reversal of existing stoning sentences, and to consider explicitly prohibiting its
use. The Special Rapporteur also reiterates his concern about the implementation of the death
penalty including in cases that do not meet the “most serious crimes” standards, as stipulated
by international law. He calls on the Government to consider revisiting its qualification in the
revised Islamic Penal Code on the use of capital punishment for juveniles and to
consider prohibiting juvenile executions; and reiterates his call for a moratorium on
the implementation of capital punishment sentences until such time as fair trial standards
for capital cases can be adequately demonstrated.
Assessment drafted using Impact Iran indicators1
A. Stoning
Iranian law prescribes various methods of execution including hanging, crucifixion, falling, and
stoning. Although these are still in the law, in practice the death penalty is enforced only by
hanging. The execution of stoning sentences has been specifically suspended by the 2002
directive of the head of the judiciary, though it remains in law. Article 225 of the 2013 Islamic
Penal Code, for example, sets the punishment for “Zena-e mohsene” (sexual relationship outside
of marriage between man and woman, where one or both of the people involved are married) as
stoning, but states that "if the execution of the stoning punishment is not possible,” an alternative
punishment shall be imposed by the court’s proposal and after the head of the Judiciary’s
approval. No stoning punishments have been reported since 2009, due in large part to increased
international pressure in the aughts, which peaked in 2010, during the campaign to save Sakineh
Ashtiani. 2 Nevertheless, a directive issued by the Head of Judiciary in June 2019 gave a detailed
description of how death sentences by hanging, stoning and crucifixion should be implemented.3
In 2020, political prisoner Hedayat Abdullahpour was secretly executed by a firing squad, a
method not used since the 1980s.4
1
Indicators used: CCPR.18.1.S.1; CCPR.18.1.S.2; CCPR.18.1.S.4; CCPR.18.3.S.1; CCPR.18.1.P.2; CCPR.18.2.P.1;
CCPR.18.3.P.1; CCPR.18.1.O.1; CCPR.18.1.O.2; CCPR.18.2.O.1; CCPR.6.5.S.1; CCPR.6.5.P.1; CCPR.6.5.O.1; CCPR.6.5.O.2
2
https://www.theguardian.com/world/sakineh-mohammadi-ashtiani
3
https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/1152670
4
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4294
1