Human rights campaigners are increasingly worried that funding to combat the narcotics trade is providing indirect assistance to a judicial system that is engaged in what has been described as 'a killing spree of staggering proportions'
In Vakilabad prison, northern Iran, there is a long beam that can take up to 60 nooses. The condemned are made to stand on stools which are then kicked away. Vakilabad's record is 89 executions in one day.
The true number of those executed in Iran is impossible to quantify, especially for those convicted of drug offences, but it is clear there is a large disjunction between official figures and the reality. In 2010 the Iranian authorities acknowledged that 172 people had been executed for drugs offences. However, the Foreign Office is aware of credible reports suggesting the real figure could be at least 590.
In the 12 months to November last year, there were at least 600 executions, according to Amnesty International, 81% of which were for drugs offences.
And, among increasingly vocal human rights groups, the concern now is that the UK has unwittingly helped fuel the killing machine.
