Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Headquarters of the Judiciary, has once again said that reform of the country’s death penalty sentences may be in order.
ISNA reports that Javad Larijani said on Monday December 28 that 93 percent of executions in Iran are for drug-related charges, adding: “The head of the judiciary has come to the conclusion that the quantity of executions does not in effect prevent the crimes; therefore, a review is in order.”
Last year, Larijani had also said that the Iranian judiciary was looking at a possible reduction in the death sentences issued; however, so far no changes have been affected.
Last month, 70 MPs proposed a bill to eliminate the death penalty from the legislation the covers the fight against drugs. The bills proposed that the death penalty only be used in cases of “armed smuggling” of drugs.
Human rights groups have consistently expressed concerned about the high number of executions in Iran.
