May 2025 marked one of the deadliest months in recent Iranian history, with at least 175 executions reported, including seven women, two juvenile offenders, and one public execution. This brutal wave underscores the Iranian regime’s increasing reliance on capital punishment to instill fear and crush dissent amid ongoing social unrest.
Between May 26 and 28 alone, authorities executed 41 individuals—an average of one execution every two hours. Executions occurred nationwide, from Qezel Hesar and Shiraz to Kerman and Qazvin, highlighting a systematic and coordinated campaign of state violence. A public execution in Delfan further signaled the regime’s intent to intimidate through spectacle.
Among those executed were women such as Setareh Taherloo (Damghan), Mahbubeh Khosrownejad (Gorgan), and a woman named Saghar (Qezel Hesar), raising concerns about gender-based violence and the targeting of vulnerable groups. The execution of juvenile offenders Mohammad Reza Sabzi and Hadi Soleimani—both under 18 at the time of their alleged crimes—violated Iran’s international obligations, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The use of espionage charges also persisted. Pedram Madani, 41, was executed on May 28 for alleged ties to Israel and financial crimes after a closed, opaque trial. His case reflects the regime’s tendency to wield vague charges like “espionage” or “corruption on earth” to silence political dissidents.
Repression within Iran’s prisons continued to intensify. Arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances rose, with individuals like Bijan Kazemi and the Akbari Monfared brothers detained without due process. Maryam Akbari Monfared, incarcerated since 2009, remains denied medical leave despite severe spinal injuries, illustrating how the regime uses prolonged detention to punish families linked to past political movements.
Politically motivated death sentences were issued to individuals such as Ehsan Faridi, a student accused of ties to the Iranian dissent group, and poet-activist Amin Farahavar, both convicted through sham trials devoid of due process. These cases highlight the judiciary’s role as a tool of political suppression.
Inside prisons, civil resistance continues. On May 13, 70-year-old Mir-Yousef Younesi launched a hunger strike after being violently transferred away from his son in Evin Prison. Political prisoners staged a sit-in protest on May 6 demanding his return, facing threats in response.
The denial of medical care—widely used as a form of torture—remains pervasive. Political prisoners like Azar Korvandi, Marzieh Farsi, Ahmadreza Djalali, and Motalleb Ahmadian continue to suffer without access to necessary treatment, often under life-threatening conditions.
Despite these dire circumstances, resistance endures. The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign entered its 71st week on June 3, with prisoners in 46 facilities staging hunger strikes and issuing anti-execution statements. This defiant movement underscores the resilience of those behind bars and the widespread opposition to Iran’s execution policies.
Iran Human Rights Monitor calls for an immediate halt to all executions, the release of political prisoners, and international investigations into these systematic abuses. The situation demands urgent global action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its escalating war on human rights.