Iran’s abuse of human rights, including the hangings of hundreds of dubiously convicted citizens — in several cases minors — has soared over the past year, even as the Obama administration has yielded to Tehran’s demand for an extension in precarious international talks over the Islamic republic’s disputed nuclear program.
With more than 560 executions over the past nine months, and a high-profile Iranian-American journalist detained for undisclosed reasons, rights groups and regional analysts say Iran’s record may be worsening in the backdrop of potential detente with the West.
While the State Department has voiced disapproval of “serious violations of due process” in the Islamic republic, the situation is prompting some in Washington to criticize the Obama administration for not applying more public pressure on Tehran to adhere to international human rights standards.
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