UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk has slammed Iran for its "abominable record" on the death penalty and called on authorities to end capital punishment as the number of executions is "frightening."
Since January 1, Turk's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said at least 209 people have been executed -- mostly for drug-related offences and a "disproportionately high number" representing minorities.
The exact number of executions is unknown, the office said, due to "a lack of government transparency," so the figure is "likely to be higher."
“On average so far this year, over 10 people are put to death each week in Iran, making it one the world’s highest executors,” Turk said.
“At this rate, Iran is worryingly on the same track as last year when around 580 people were reportedly executed...This is an abominable record, particularly when you consider the growing consensus for universal abolition of the death penalty,” he added.
In the past four days, Iran has admitted to executing two men -- Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare -- who had been sentenced to death for using social media to promote "atheism and insulting religious and Islamic sanctities" and Habib Chaab, a Swedish-Iranian dissident who went missing from a Turkish airport two years ago before turning up in Iranian custody accused of terrorism.
According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organization, Tehran has executed one person every six hours in the past two weeks.
Turk's office said that at least 45 people, including 22 from the Baluch minority, were executed in the last 14 days alone, most of whom were accused of drug-related charges.
“Imposing the death penalty for drug offences is incompatible with international human rights norms and standards,” Turk said.