Foreign Office Minister speaks out against Iran's "shameful" record on death penalty
Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt spoke about his concern after a surge in executions in Iran.
Commenting on Iran’s record of state executions, the Foreign Office Minister said:
“I am deeply concerned by the surge in executions in Iran. Reports indicate that Iran recently executed up to 63 people in one week. This shocking figure is a reminder of Iran’s already excessive use of the death penalty. I call again on Iran to review its death penalty policy, including the number and type of ‘offences’ that attract the sentence, often with scant regard to the right to a fair trial. I am also extremely disturbed by Iran’s continued persecution of homosexuals and reports that four individuals were recently executed on related charges. We will continue to speak out against Iran’s shameful record of executions, which has seen it execute more individuals per capita than any other country in the world in recent years.”