The number of executions in Iran doubled in the second half of 2021 -- around the time when President Ebrahim Raisi took office -- according to figures compiled by two advocacy groups.

Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran 2021, published by Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and Paris-based Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort or ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty), highlighted the rise in numbers and a lack of transparency in both procedures and legislative framework.

The report said at least 333 people were executed in 2021, two thirds in the last six months. This was up from 267 in 2020, with at least 183 executions (55 percent) in 2021 for murder and at least 126 for drug-related offenses. At least two juvenile offenders and 17 women were among those executed.

"The execution rate accelerated after the election of Ebrahim Raeisi as president in June, and doubled in the second half of 2021 compared to the first half", the report said.

At least 139 followed sentences passed by Revolutionary Courts, which have different procedures to other courts, bringing the total of such cases to over 3,758 since 2010.

The report said that 278 executions in 2021 were un-announced by the authorities, and that other executions had not been included due to researchers’ inability to confirm facts.

For the first time in over 15 years, no public executions were reported in 2021 as Iran halted the practice due to Covid-19 restrictions. After a lapse of around 18 months, three sentences of public execution have been passed since March.