Iranian authorities carried out at least 1,639 executions in 2025, marking the highest annual figure recorded since 1989, according to a joint report by Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty. The organizations described the total as an “absolute minimum” and said the real number could be higher due to limited official reporting and verification constraints. The figure reflects an average of more than four executions per day across the country.
The report highlights a sharp rise in executions, representing a 68 percent increase compared to the 975 executions recorded in 2024. Among those executed were at least 48 women, the highest number in more than two decades and a significant rise from the previous year. Rights groups noted that many women executed for murder cases were often accused of killing spouses or partners in contexts involving domestic abuse, raising concerns about the fairness of judicial proceedings.
Researchers and activists say the surge in executions is closely linked to political instability, including nationwide protests in January 2026 and ongoing tensions following a conflict involving the United States and Israel. The NGOs warned that “hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution,” as authorities continue to prosecute individuals charged with capital offenses related to dissent and opposition activity.
According to the report, Iran executed individuals linked to the banned opposition group People’s Mujahedin of Iran and at least one dual Iranian-Swedish citizen accused of espionage during the post-protest crackdown. Officials are also accused of using executions to deter further unrest, with Iran Human Rights director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stating that authorities are “creating fear” through the sustained pace of executions to suppress dissent.
The use of capital punishment, the report says, disproportionately affects ethnic minorities such as Kurds in western Iran and the Baluch community in the southeast, who are frequently accused of security-related crimes. Nearly half of all executions were related to drug offenses, underscoring what rights groups describe as a broad and punitive application of the death penalty.
While most executions took place inside prisons, public hangings reportedly more than tripled in 2025, reaching at least 11 cases. Iran continues to rely almost exclusively on hanging as its method of execution. Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, maintain that Iran remains one of the world’s leading executioners, both in absolute terms and per capita, second only to China where reliable data is not publicly available.
