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UN rights chief warns that more Iranians face execution after protests

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The U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, warning that dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this week.  

Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Reuters/Denis Balibouse

Volker Turk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Reuters/Denis Balibouse

The U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday called for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty in Iran, warning that dozens more people risk execution after the first death sentence linked to January mass protests was issued this week.  

"I am horrified by reports that at least eight people, including two children, have been sentenced to death in connection with the protests," Turk said in a speech to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, adding that another 30 people appeared to be at risk of the same sentence.

Reporting by Emma Farge

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