Iran is making a big stride in reducing the number of death penalties being meted out in the country for drug offences, a senior human rights official says.
The number of drug-related death penalties could be reduced by 80 percent if the current laws change, Mohammad Javad Larijani said in an interview with France 24, Press TV reported on Saturday.
He also stressed the move has nothing to do with the west’s criticism of the number of executions in Iran.
“If the law passes parliament, almost 80% of the executions will go away. This is big news for us, regardless of the western criticism,” said Larijani, who serves as the secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Council.
