In 2025, Iran has witnessed one of the deadliest years in decades, with more than 1,300 executions carried out across the country. This alarming figure, reported by Amnesty International, represents not only a statistical surge but also a deepening humanitarian and legal crisis. As Amnesty Iran stated on social media: “Thousands more are at risk as Iranian authorities continue to weaponize the death penalty. We call on the international community to take urgent action to stop this horror.”
A Record Surge in Executions
The number of executions recorded in 2025 marks the highest figure in over two decades, surpassing even the grim totals of previous years. Reports from multiple human rights organizations indicate that executions have accelerated dramatically since early 2025. A significant proportion of those executed were convicted of drug-related offenses, but many others were charged with political or religious crimes, including “corruption on earth” (efsad fel-arz) and “enmity against God” (moharebeh)—charges often leveled against dissidents, protesters, or members of ethnic minorities.
According to data compiled by the UN and independent observers, Iran executed more than 900 people in 2024, including dozens of women. The current year’s total shows a devastating escalation. This sharp rise coincides with an intensified government crackdown on dissent, particularly after widespread protests over economic hardship, women’s rights, and ethnic discrimination.
Executions as a Political Tool
The death penalty in Iran has long been criticized for being used as a political instrument rather than a judicial measure. Trials leading to executions often lack transparency, due process, or access to legal counsel. Testimonies of forced confessions under torture remain widespread. In many cases, families are not informed in advance of their loved ones’ execution dates, nor are bodies returned for burial—tactics meant to instill fear and suppress potential resistance.
Ethnic minorities, especially the Baluchi and Kurdish communities, have been disproportionately targeted. Human rights groups report that up to one-third of this year’s executions involved Baluchi prisoners, even though they constitute a small fraction of Iran’s population. This pattern reflects systemic discrimination and the use of the death penalty to silence marginalized voices.
A Global Responsibility
The international community faces a moral and political obligation to respond. While Iran is not a party to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (which aims to abolish the death penalty), it is still bound by its obligations under international law to ensure fair trials and protect the right to life. The current execution spree blatantly violates these commitments.
Amnesty International and other organizations have urged governments and international bodies to adopt targeted sanctions against Iranian officials responsible for unlawful executions, support UN investigations, and call for a moratorium on the death penalty in Iran. Silence, they warn, will only embolden authorities to continue weaponizing capital punishment.
Conclusion
The horrifying scale of executions in Iran in 2025 is not merely a domestic issue—it is a global human rights emergency. Each execution represents not just a lost life, but a deliberate act of state violence intended to crush hope and dissent. Unless the world responds decisively, Iran’s machinery of death will continue unchecked, eroding the universal values of justice, dignity, and humanity itself.