The UN's human rights chief, Volker Türk, has said he is alarmed by a sharp rise in executions in Iran since March, warning that capital punishment is being used "to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent". He urged Iranian authorities to halt all executions and move towards abolishing the death penalty, citing serious concerns over the lack of fair trial guarantees and confessions allegedly extracted under torture.

Türk said at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges since 19 March, including 27 linked to January's anti-government protests, with more than 100 others still at risk. Iran, thought to be the world's second most prolific executioner after China, put to death at least 2,159 people last year according to Amnesty International, the highest figure since 1981. Recent cases include two men executed for alleged spying for Israel, a 19-year-old executed over the January unrest, and two men publicly hanged in Isfahan among 12 defendants sentenced together in a single closed-door hearing.