Iran considers ending death penalty for drug offenses
Iranian judicial officials have once again stated publicly that the country's criminal prosecution and punishment of drug-related crime need to be reformed.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council, said that Iran is looking to end the death penalty for drug related cases, which he said account for 80% of the country’s executions. His comments followed statements by the head of Iran’s judiciary, who earlier said that the country’s drug laws were not effective and need to be reformed.
In a Dec. 4 English-language interview with France 24’s Sanam Shantyaei, Javad Larijani said, “No one is happy to see the number of executions is high. And it’s a sad story that we have this much drug related crime. … According to the existing law, … they are receiving capital punishment.”
