UN highlights surging Iran executions and Afghan femicide cover-ups

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned of a sharp increase in executions in Iran, where at least 56 people have been put to death since mid-March. Türk noted that capital punishment is being employed by Iranian authorities to "instill fear in the population and suppress dissent," with penalties primarily targeting drug charges and political opposition.

Concurrently, an investigation into 231 femicides in Afghanistan revealed widespread impunity for killers under the Taliban regime. Following the dissolution of the attorney general's office in 2023, state institutions stopped tracking gender-based homicides, effectively concealing the full scale of violence against women. Rights advocates emphasize that perpetrators face minimal judicial consequences as official record-keeping remains absent.

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