Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, a staggering 17% increase from the previous year and the highest execution rate in more than two decades, according to the 17th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran. Released by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), the report highlights the deepening use of capital punishment, with geopolitical tensions—particularly in the context of rising Iran-Israel conflicts—accelerating executions to five or six daily in the last quarter of the year.
A significant portion of these executions, 503 in total, was for drug-related offenses, disproportionately affecting marginalized ethnic minorities, including the Baluch. Despite concerns raised by over 80 human rights organizations, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime continued collaboration with Iran’s law enforcement.
The report also documents a troubling decline in transparency, with only 95 executions officially announced, less than 10% of the total, compared to 15% in 2023. Additionally, at least 31 women were executed in 2024, the highest number since IHRNGO began tracking in 2007.
Under Iran’s “qisas” (retribution-in-kind) laws, 419 people were executed for murder charges, many of which involved individuals unable to pay the blood money required for release. Among the executed, ethnic minorities, particularly Kurds, were overrepresented in political executions, with at least 164 killed for alleged ties to banned political groups.
The surge in executions, particularly political ones, reflects a broader government strategy to suppress dissent. Following Mahsa Amini’s death, the Kurdish and Baluch regions became focal points for protests, many of which were met with deadly force from the state.
In response, Iranian prisoners launched the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement, gaining international support. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Director of IHRNGO, described the initiative as the start of a larger social movement against the death penalty, urging global solidarity to end this practice.
| Iran public execution picture by Hamidreza Nikoomaram on Wikimedia CC BY 4.0 |
