The legal research of the Human Rights in Iran Unit in the School of Law at the University of Essex on the Islamic Republic of Iran's compliance with its obligation under international human rights treaties with respect to the death penalty for drug crimes. The study shows that Iran has the greatest per capita executions worldwide of which the majority are carried out for drug crimes, including mandatory in many instances. The research demonstrates that death penalty for drug crimes in Iran is in violation of the legal requirements of the Article 6 of the ICCPR in various aspects, including lawfulness, execution only for the most serious crimes, conformity requirement, fair trial guarantees, appeal and clemency, non-retroactivity and exception for persons under the age of 18 years. In this respect, according to the legal analysis the death penalty for drug crimes in the Islamic Republic of Iran is not in compliance with its obligations under the ICCPR and also the CRC.
Citation: Hlinomaz,O., Sheeran, S., and Bevilacqua, C, 'The Death Penalty for Drug Crimes in Iran: Analysis of Iran’s International Human Rights Obligations', Human Rights in Iran Unit: Legal Research Series (2014)