The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
UK tax‘ funding executions in Iran’
UK TAXPAYERS have effectively funded executions in Iran through £3.6 million in aid used to fight the flow of drugs into Europe, human rights campaigners said yesterday.
Iran has historically been the leading recipient of UK anti-drugs assistance, through joint programmes with other countries.
But a report by prisoners’ rights charity Reprieve found that links between aid and executions were “not hard to establish”.
Reprieve investigator Maya Foa said: “It’s outrageous that Britain, which is supposed to be committed to the abolition of capital punishment, should in fact be funding executions for drug offences in Iran.”
The majority of aid provided to the Islamic state by international governments is focused on improving the efficiency of its antinarcotics police, which can include providing nightvision goggles, GPS and customs training.
But the success of law enforcement agencies is measured by number of arrests, which will “very likely” lead to executions, Reprieve said.
More than 1,200 people were executed in Iran between 2007 and 2011 for drug offences, while the proportion of total executions for drug crime has rocketed from 28% to 82% in that period.
The Reprieve report comes shortly after Prime Minister David Cameron defended the Government’s decision to ring-fence the Department of International Development budget and commit to spend 0.7% of GDP on aid programmes.
But Ms Foa said: “Hundreds are being hanged every year, including children, vulnerable people and innocent scapegoats; that Britain should have played a part in this tragedy is shameful.”
Iran is a major transit route for drugs smuggled from Afghanistan through Pakistan to the Persian Gulf, Turkey, Russia and Europe.
A Foreign Offic e spokesman said: “We regularly condemn Iran on its abhorrent use of the death penalty.”