By GLEN SEGELLUpdated: MARCH 25, 2018 16:49
The good news is that the Ayatollahs are losing their grip. Age and public pressure has taken their toll and an assessment and analysis of the death penalty trends in 2017 in the Islamic Republic of Iran favors citizens and not leaders.However some citizens were not that lucky as the Ayatollahs are trying their best to act youthful, revolutionary and in power. That means that their means are to execute. So some citizens were victim to the draconian Ayatollahs.The summary is that in 2017 there are records of 517 people that were executed in the Islamic Republic of Iran; more undocumented cases exist. This number is comparable with the execution figures in 2016 and confirms the relative reduction in the use of the death penalty compared to the period between 2010 and 2015. Nevertheless, with an average of more than one execution every day in 2017, Iran remains the country with the highest number of executions per capita.Other good news is that the Ayatollahs are trying to be Western. They oppose drugs; and they will try to kill less drug users. In 2017, the process of introducing new amendments to the Anti-drug law entered a new phase. Thus, drug-related executions showed a 22% reduction compared with 2016.There could even be better news for some. The Anti-Narcotics law if implemented properly will commute several thousand death sentences. The Iranian authorities must make sure that the cases of all drug offenders on death row are reviewed automaticallySo now that you get the point about the Good News in Iran, let me give you the Key Facts so you can make an decision based not on 2017 being comparatively good but on the basis of who the Ayatollahs are. Read on and decide if these are the type of people you trust not to make nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them, or even sell second hand cars.
At least 517 people were executed in 2017, an average of more than one
execution per day.
111 executions (21%) were announced by official sources.
Approximately 79% of all executions i.e. 406 executions, were not announced by the authorities.
At least 240 people (46% of all executions) were executed for murder charges - 98 more than in 2016
At least 231 people (45% of all executions) were executed for drug-related charges - 65 less than in 2016
31 executions were conducted in public spaces
At least 5 juvenile offenders were among those executed
At least 10 women were executed
At least 254 executions in 2017 and more than 3,400 executions since 2010 have been based on death sentences issued by the Revolutionary Courts
At least 221 death row prisoners were forgiven by the families of the murder victims
So for the bottom line may I quote the Beatles? We all live in a Yellow Submarine! And the Ayatollahs …….. ?