The office of the President in Iran is considered the second most powerful position in the country as it is granted significant power. Since 2005, Iran was led by Conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who served as Tehran mayor before being elected as president. Ahmadinejad's name was associated with the profound human rights violations in the country, particularly with the use of violence. The list of these violations included the increased level of death penalty and problems with LGBT rights. According to the Human Rights Watch, "basic human rights protection in Iran has deteriorated to new lows" under Ahmadinejad's first presidency as, for example, the number of executions increased by three times. The Iranian president has no power to control the judiciary.