Executions in Iran rose 68 percent in 2025, the highest number carried out by the theocratic dictatorship since 1989.
The figures were compiled an annual report by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) with the support of ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty). The two organizations have published the report since 2012.
The report notes that executions in Iran rose from 975 in 2024 to 1,639 in 2025.
"A large proportion of those executed were from the most marginalized sectors of Iranian society," the report states. "Nearly half of the executions were for drug-related offences, while hundreds were carried out under qisas (retribution-in-kind) laws for murder. Since poverty is an underlying factor, ethnic minorities were disproportionally impacted. Meanwhile, the right to access counsel, due process and fair trial rights were systematically breached, often in violation of the Islamic Republic's own laws."
The report noted that 48 women were executed, the highest number in at least 20 years. Eleven of the executions were carried out "in public spaces, where children were amongst the spectators, a practice intended to spread fear and reinforce the state's policy of intimidation."
Those executed for political reasons or for enmity against God totaled 57.
The report also notes the difficulty in getting and verifying information within Iran and the risks sources take in providing the organizations with information. The report does not include executions unless they can be confirmed from two independent sources. The report states that this means another 553 executions were not included in the data.
"Given the very difficult context, the lack of transparency and the obvious risks and limitations faced by human rights defenders in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this report does not give a complete picture of the use of the death penalty in the country," the report states. "Due to the lack of transparency in the Iranian judicial system and the pressure exerted on families, each year a number of reported executions cannot be confirmed through two independent sources and are therefore not included in the report."
The execution figures do not include the thousands of people reportedly killed during the January protests. Estimates of protesters killed by the regime in January have fluctuated between 7,000 and more than 36,000. More executions have been carried since the beginning of the war on February 28.
Originally published on IBTimes
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