At least 354 people were hanged in Iran during the first half of 2023, a 36 percent increase from 2022, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR).

Human rights NGOs regularly accuse Iranian authorities of using capital punishment as a means of suppressing protests that erupted in September after the death of young Mahsha Amini, who was arrested by morality police for not wearing her headscarf properly.

According to the IHR, 20% of executions recorded in 2023 involved members of the Sunni Baloch minority, who were often at the forefront of the movement.

Some 206 people were executed for offenses linked to drug trafficking, a 126% increase over 2022. Among those executed, the NGO counted six women. Two men were publicly hanged. Seven hangings were directly related to the protests.

“The death penalty is used to instill terror in society and to prevent further protests,” according to Mahmoud Amiri-Moghadam.

“The majority of those executed are second-class citizens, coming from the most marginalized communities,” he added.

Iran executes more people than any other country except China, according to several human rights organizations.

In 2022, 582 people were executed in Iran, a 75% increase from the previous year, according to IHR data.