IRAN is carrying out executions “at an alarming rate,” putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year, the UN secretary-general said on Wednesday – a rise of 30 per cent.

Antonio Guterres said in the report to the UN general assembly on the human rights situation in Iran that seven men were executed in relation to or for participating in nationwide protests, sparked by the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.

Ms Amini was picked up by Iran’s morality police for her allegedly loose headscarf being in violation of the country’s Islamic dress code.

All seven cases “consistently indicated that the judicial proceedings did not fulfil the requirements for due process and a fair trial under international human rights law,” Mr Guterres said.

He added: “Access to adequate and timely legal representation was frequently denied, with reports of coerced confessions, which may have been obtained as a result of torture.”

Mr Guterres expressed deep concern “at the lack of transparent and independent investigations into reported human rights violations, in particular in the context of the latest nationwide protests.”

He also urged the Iranian government to guarantee the right to peaceful assembly and to respect the rights to due process and fair trials.