Executions in Iran doubled in 2025, reaching a 36-year high

The prisoners were sentenced to death

#Iran

In 2025, the Iranian regime executed at least 1,639 people, more than double the previous year

This was the highest number of executions recorded in the country in 36 years, since the end of the war against Iraq in 1989.

According to a joint report by two human rights organizations-Iran Human Rights (based in Norway) and Together Against the Death Penalty (from France)-this means that, on average, more than four people were killed per day in Iran throughout last year.

The vast majority of executions were by hanging, mainly for drug-related crimes or murder.

Death sentences for drug trafficking increased by 58% compared to 2024, while those for homicide rose by a staggering 79%.

Furthermore, at least 57 people were convicted on vague charges such as “war against God” or “corruption on Earth,” including two protesters.

The report also recorded the execution of 48 women, the highest number in 20 years.

Annual Report on the Death Penalty

Many of these sentences were handed down by revolutionary courts after trials considered unfair and lacking due process.

Marginalized groups, such as ethnic and religious minorities, were disproportionately represented among those executed.

The document does not include executions that occurred from January 2026 onwards, following the mass protests earlier in the year and the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States.

So far, state media has confirmed at least 14 executions this year, but human rights organizations report much higher numbers-reaching 160 hangings since January, many linked to protests or opponents of the regime.

During the violent crackdown on winter protests, an estimated 7,000 demonstrators were killed in the streets.

Recently, the hardline head of the Iranian judiciary called for all death penalty cases against “agents of the enemy,” including protesters, to be expedited.

These shocking figures reveal a dramatic increase in the use of the death penalty by the Iranian government, in a context of political instability and external conflicts.

The report warns that the number could rise even further in the coming months.

Published in 04/15/2026 08h52

Portuguese version

Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.

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