BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 5. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk says at least 56 people have been executed in Iran on national security-related charges since the beginning of the year, expressing concern over what he described as a growing use of the death penalty.
In a statement, Türk said 27 of those executed were linked to the January protests and added that he was "alarmed by the rise in executions and death sentences" since March.
"Capital punishment continues to be used to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent," he said.
According to the UN rights chief, more than 100 people remain at risk of execution on national security-related charges.
Türk's statement follows a report by Amnesty International, which last week said 26 people connected to the January protests and 26 others on what it described as politically motivated charges had been executed in Iran.
Iranian authorities have not immediately responded to the latest statement by the UN human rights chief.
