شاهـد علوی، عضو تحریریه ایران‌اینترنشنال، گفت جمهوری اسلامی از اعدام به‌عنوان ابزاری برای مقابله با بحران مشروعیت و ایجاد وحشت در جامعه استفاده می‌کند.

He added that over the past year, 2,003 people have been executed in Iran, and the number of political prisoners executed has also increased compared to the previous similar period. According to علوی, what could stop the executions is the will of the international community; but so far, such will to use pressure tools has not been seen.