At least 56 individuals have been executed in Iran since March 19 on charges related to national security, including 27 connected to protests that erupted nationwide earlier this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, reported on Wednesday.

Turk expressed concern over the marked increase in capital punishments, describing the use of the death penalty as a tool to intimidate the population and stifle dissent. “I am alarmed by the rise in executions and death sentences issued in Iran since March, and that capital punishment continues to be used to instil fear among the population and suppress dissent,” he stated.

The surge in executions follows months of large-scale demonstrations, initially sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in custody after being detained by Iran’s morality police. The protests, which called for greater rights and political reforms, have been met with a harsh government crackdown.

Turk called on Iranian authorities to immediately cease all executions and urged movement toward permanently abolishing the death penalty. His comments come amid ongoing international criticism of Iran’s human rights record and its treatment of those arrested during the protests.

The Iranian government has maintained that those executed were convicted through due legal process for serious offenses against state security. However, rights groups and the UN have raised concerns over the fairness of trials and the use of capital punishment to eliminate political opposition.

The latest data highlights the intensification of Iran’s stringent response to dissent, raising questions about the prospects for human rights and judicial reform in the country.