British Aid 'Funding Iranian Executions'

Sky News

British taxpayers have effectively funded executions in Iran by providing £3.6m in aid to the country, according to human rights campaigners.

The money has been used to fight the flow of drugs into Europe, with Iran historically the leading recipient of UK anti-drugs assistance.

Prisoners' rights charity Reprieve claims recent spending has coincided with a jump in the number of executions for drug crime.

Its 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."

Most of the aid given to the Islamic state by international governments if focused on helping its anti-narcotics police (ANP).

But the success of the authorities is measured by the number of arrests, which will "very likely" lead to executions, Reprieve said.

More than 1,200 people were executed for drugs offences in Iran between 2007 and 2011 and the proportion of total executions for drug crime rose from 28% to 82% in that time.

The report comes shortly after David Cameron defended the ring-fencing of the international aid budget, insisting Britain has a "moral obligation" to the poorest parts of the world.

Ms Foa said that "given the country's appalling record on human rights", there was real concern over how equipment and support provided by Britain to Iran is being used.

She 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.

The country, led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is frequently reported as having the largest seizures of opiates - such as morphine - in the world.

It claims to have invested more than $1bn (£613m) in an elaborate series of earthworks, forts and deep trenches to channel potential drug smugglers to areas where they can be confronted by security forces.

Iran executes more people per head than any other country, with 12,000 estimated to have been executed for drug offences since 1979.

The UK jointly funded a project to promote intelligence-led investigation in Iran between 2010 and 2011, which led to the seizure of 23,633kg of opium, 1,490kg of heroin, 3,033kg of cannabis, 425kg of morphine and 110kg of crystal meth.

The £750,000 initiative coincided with the sharp increase in executions for drug offences, Reprieve said.

Another jointly-funded project, between 2007 and 2010, saw £117,000 spent on motorcycles, along with X-ray body scanners and mobile and satellite communications.

The Foreign Office said the UK has funded no United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) programmes in Iran since 2007.

A spokesman said: "We continue to raise with the UNODC, and other UN bodies, the need to ensure that counter-narcotics projects are compliant with international human rights and we have supported the publication of human rights guidelines for UNODC projects.

"The British Government takes human rights very seriously and strongly opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, including for drugs offences. We regularly condemn Iran on its abhorrent use of the death penalty."