Over fifty countries from across the world have issued a joint statement addressed to the United Nations condemning the death penalty and executions in Iran.

The statement was deliveredby Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Christian Guillermet at the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva Tuesday.

“We are deeply concerned by the use of the death penalty in Iran. Several hundred people were reportedly executed in Iran between 2022 and 2023, including juvenile offenders,” he stated.

In recent months, Iran has handed down or sought to impose death sentences against dozens of individuals arrested in connection with their participation in protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

Iran has executed hundreds of prisoners since 2021 and in December hanged four protesters after sham trials.

“We are concerned by the nature of the offences for which the death penalty was applied the speed of the trials, lack of transparency, and credible reports that defendants did not have proper access to lawyers of their choosing and were subject to torture or other inhumane treatment,” read the statement.

The signatories called on Iran to respect the lives and voices of its people, to impose an immediate moratorium on the death penalty and to halt all executions, urging Iran to cooperate with all UN human rights mechanisms, including the Council’s Fact-Finding Mission.

Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the UK, and the USA are among the countries that co-sponsored the joint statement.