Will Iran end the death penalty for drug smuggling?

Some members of Iran's parliament are launching a bill to eliminate the death penalty in nonviolent drug smuggling cases, though the plan is expected to face staunch opposition.
An Iranian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard beside a display of confiscated drugs during a ceremony concluding anti-narcotics manoeuvres in Zahedan, 1,605 kilometers (1,003 miles) southeast of Tehran May 20, 2009. The head of the U.N. crime agency praised Iran during a visit on Wednesday for curbing the flow of smuggled heroin from Afghanistan and helping keep the drug off Western streets. Picture taken May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN CRIME LAW POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXKL1B
An Iranian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard beside a display of confiscated drugs during a ceremony concluding anti-narcotics maneuvers in Zahedan, May 20, 2009. - REUTERS/Caren Firouz
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Arash Karami
@thekarami
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Iran, which executes more people per capita than any other country in the world, is taking preliminary steps to reduce the use of the death penalty in drug-related cases, although many believe it will be difficult to implement such a change.

Iran's staggering number of drug-related executions in the country is on pace to exceed 1,000 for 2015, according to the UN investigator for Iran, Ahmed Shaheed. In July, Iran officially announced the executions of 246 people, but Amnesty International placed the number then at 694.

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