UN and rights groups raise alarms over rising Iran executions and Afghan femicides

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has voiced grave concern over a surge in capital punishment in Iran, reporting at least 56 executions since mid-March. Türk stated that Iranian authorities use the death penalty to "instill fear in the population and suppress dissent," particularly targeting political opponents and drug-related offenders.

Simultaneously, a new investigation examining 231 femicide cases in Afghanistan underscored a dramatic rise in unpunished gender-based violence under Taliban rule. The report revealed that the dissolution of the Afghan attorney general's office in 2023 eliminated official tracking mechanisms, allowing perpetrators of violence against women to act with near-total impunity. Rights advocates warn that state institutions are actively masking the scale of these crimes.

Sources: Diário de Notícias (DN), RTP (Rádio e Televisão de Portugal)