reportedly executed for drug-related crimes.14 According to Iranian officials, from 2014 to 2017,
between 70% and 80% of executions per year were related to drug offences.15 The high rate of
executions can be explained by the previous anti-narcotic law (prior to 2017 amendment), which
prescribed the death penalty for a wide range of crimes. For example, under Article 4 of the
previous version of the law, a person carrying 5 kg or more of narcotics could be sentenced to
death.
In November 2017, an amendment made to the law on drug trafficking entered into force,
replacing the mandatory death penalty with a prison term of up to 30 years for non-violent drugrelated offences and increasing the quantity of drugs required for a death sentence to be imposed.
As a result of the amendment, death penalties issued for drug-related crimes have significantly
decreased since 2017.16 However, mandatory death sentences for numerous drug-related offences
remain and the law transformed a number of crimes into capital crimes for first-time offenders in
specific circumstances. 17 At least 30 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2019 and
25 in 2020.18 On May 3, Iran Human Rights reported that during the first four months of 2021,
22 out of 82 executions were carried out as a result of drug-related charges - a 300% increase
compared to the first trimesters of the two previous years. 19
Despite the existence of several means and mechanisms that accept complaints regarding the
violation of rights in Iran, such as the Judge’s Disciplinary Court, the Article 90 Parliamentary
Commission and, in general, any appeals courts including the Supreme Court, there is little
evidence to suggest that these complaints are properly investigated and adjudicated. Iran does
not have any administrative processes or independent human rights monitoring mechanisms in
place to ensure that the application of the death penalty complies with international human rights
standards.
The Human Rights Committee has consistently underscored that drug-related offences do not
meet the threshold of “most serious crimes” and that the death penalty should not be applied to
them.20
Although the Islamic Republic of Iran amended its anti-narcotic laws and reduced the number of
drug related crimes that can be sentenced with the death penalty, the laws remain inconsistent
with the State’s international human rights obligations.
14
ECPM, Iran Human Rights, https://www.ecpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapport-iran-2020-gb-070420-WEB.pdf
< https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/305059/>
16
ECPM, Iran Human Rights, https://www.ecpm.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapport-iran-2020-gb-070420-WEB.pdf
17
Drug trafficking law, articles 8 and 45.
18
https://iranhr.net/media/files/Rapport_iran_2021-gb-290321-BD.pdf
19
https://iranhr.net/en/articles/4721
20
CCPR/C/PAK/CO/1, para. 17; CCPR/C/THA/CO/2, para. 17; CCPR/C/KWT/CO/3, para. 22; A/71/372, para. 48; and Human
Rights Committee, general comment No. 36.
15
3