Iran Records Highest Execution Rate in Decades Amid Post-Protest Crackdown
Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, marking the highest number recorded since 1989, according to reports by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM). This figure represents a 68% increase from 2024, with an average of four executions per day. While most convictions were for drug-related offenses or murder, human rights organizations warn that authorities are increasingly using capital punishment as a tool of repression following anti-government protests earlier this year and ongoing conflict with the US and Israel. At least 57 individuals were executed on security-related charges, including protesters and members of opposition groups. The report highlights that over half of these executions resulted from trials deemed grossly unfair by Revolutionary Courts. Ethnic minorities and women were disproportionately affected, with female executions reaching a twenty-year high. NGOs caution that the risk of further executions remains severe, with dozens currently sentenced to death for protest-related activities. Advocates urge that abolishing the death penalty must be central to any diplomatic negotiations between Iran and Western powers to address the escalating human rights crisis and ensure accountability for state-sponsored violence.
Wire timeline
Iran Records Highest Execution Rate in Decades Amid Post-Protest Crackdown
Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, marking the highest number recorded since 1989, according to reports by Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM). This figure represents a 68% increase from 2024, with an average of four executions per day. While most convictions were for drug-related offenses or murder, human rights organizations warn that authorities are increasingly using capital punishment as a tool of repression following anti-government protests earlier this year and ongoing conflict with the US and Israel. At least 57 individuals were executed on security-related charges, including protesters and members of opposition groups. The report highlights that over half of these executions resulted from trials deemed grossly unfair by Revolutionary Courts. Ethnic minorities and women were disproportionately affected, with female executions reaching a twenty-year high. NGOs caution that the risk of further executions remains severe, with dozens currently sentenced to death for protest-related activities. Advocates urge that abolishing the death penalty must be central to any diplomatic negotiations between Iran and Western powers to address the escalating human rights crisis and ensure accountability for state-sponsored violence.
BBC News