Iran may soon be limiting its executions of prisoners for drug offenses.
Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said on Wednesday that the Council has approved a Parlimaentary amendment to the Law Against Drug Trafficking after MPs “clarified some ambiguities”.
Execution will now be limited to major drug suppliers, armed traffickers, criminals with prior convictions resulting in more than 15 years imprisonment, and those who enslave children to sell drugs.
Iran has long faced international criticism, including from the UN’s Special Rapporteur and human rights groups, for one of the highest per-capita execution rates in the world.
The rate fell from 977 in 2015 to at least 567 people in 2016; however, the vast majority continue to be for drug-trafficking crimes which include the possession of small amounts of illegal drugs.
A member of the Parliamentary committee overseeing the amendment, Yahya Kamalipour, said retrospective application could “save at least 4,000 prisoners convicted of drug violations”. Another committee member, Bahman Taherkhani,
estimated that executions could drop by 80%.
The Majlis has considered the limitations since 2015, but judicial officials and security agencies opposed the restrictions.
Parliament’s amendment does not apply to non-drug-related crimes, including the execution of detainees sentenced to death as minors.
