UN rights chief warns of rising Iran executions as report details Afghan femicides

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has alerted the international community to a sharp increase in executions in Iran, recording over 50 capital punishments since mid-March. According to Türk, the Iranian state uses death sentences to "instill fear in the population and suppress dissent." Among those put to death was 24-year-old Marzieh Neyri, who was executed after resisting sexual harassment. Legal frameworks in Iran demand testimonies from four male witnesses to substantiate sexual assault claims, creating severe judicial barriers for women.

Concurrently, an inquiry examining 231 femicides in Afghanistan reveals widespread impunity for violence targeting women under Taliban rule. The situation has deteriorated following the 2023 dissolution of the attorney general's office, which previously monitored domestic abuse statistics, effectively allowing such crimes to go unrecorded and unpunished.

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