Book contents
- Capital Drug Laws in Asia
- Capital Drug Laws in Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables
- Chart
- Contributors
- Table of Cases
- Table of Statutes
- Table of International Treaties
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Executing States
- 2 China’s ‘Killing Less’ Policy for Drug Crimes and the Role of the Judiciary
- 3 Normative Legitimacy of Iran’s Capital Drug Law and Its Application
- 4 Debate and Contestation in Singapore’s Death Penalty
- Part II People on Death Row
- Part III Actors and Agencies
- Part IV States in Transition
- Index
- References
3 - Normative Legitimacy of Iran’s Capital Drug Law and Its Application
from Part I - Executing States
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2025
Book contents
- Capital Drug Laws in Asia
- Capital Drug Laws in Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables
- Chart
- Contributors
- Table of Cases
- Table of Statutes
- Table of International Treaties
- Abbreviations
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Executing States
- 2 China’s ‘Killing Less’ Policy for Drug Crimes and the Role of the Judiciary
- 3 Normative Legitimacy of Iran’s Capital Drug Law and Its Application
- 4 Debate and Contestation in Singapore’s Death Penalty
- Part II People on Death Row
- Part III Actors and Agencies
- Part IV States in Transition
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter examines the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s capital drug law and its application, using the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as the normative framework. The 2017 amendment to Iran’s capital drug law is examined against the aims and likely motivations behind the amendment. Judicial legitimacy is assessed by examining how judges apply drug laws in capital cases and the extent to which fair trial guarantees are observed, and by assessing the structure of the judiciary in which these judgments are delivered. We use 10 judgments – rarely available in the public domain – handed down by the judiciary during 2014–2020 to argue that there have been positive developments in improving fair trial guarantees. Nonetheless, capital drug cases fall below the standard required under the ICCPR. The amendment sought to limit the application of the death penalty to major drug syndicates, but our analysis shows serious issues that may hamper the realisation of the amendment’s objective.
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- Capital Drug Laws in Asia , pp. 53 - 82Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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