Iran's Execution Toll Surpasses 1,000 in 2025, Marking Three-Decade High

Alarming Surge in Executions Reported

Iran has executed at least 1,000 people so far in 2025, according to a report released by the Norway-based non-governmental organization Iran Human Rights (IHR). The group has characterized the escalating number of executions as a 'mass killing campaign' within the country's prisons. This figure marks the highest number of executions in Iran in three decades and surpasses the 975 executions recorded in 2024, making 2025 the deadliest year since IHR began tracking executions in 2008.

Another human rights organization, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, reported at least 1,002 executions in the first nine months of 2025. The surge includes at least 64 executions in the past week alone, averaging more than nine hangings per day.

Context and Causes of the Increase

The increase in executions is believed to have spiked following Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, with officials reportedly ordering a crackdown on alleged spies acting for Israel. Internal unrest subsequent to the 2022–2023 protests has also been cited as a contributing factor to the surge.

According to IHR, approximately half of the executions were for drug-related offenses, 43 percent for murder, 3 percent for security-related charges, and 1 percent for espionage for Israel. Hengaw's data indicates that 49.5 percent of those executed were convicted of drug-related crimes, and eight individuals were executed on charges of espionage for Israel. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, emphasize that international human rights law restricts the death penalty to the 'most serious crimes,' typically involving intentional killing, and explicitly excludes drug-related and political offenses.

Lack of Transparency and Disproportionate Impact

Transparency surrounding the executions remains a significant concern. IHR reported that only 11 percent of the executions were officially announced, while none of the drug-related executions were made public. Hengaw's data further reveals that only about 5 percent of cases were reported by state-controlled media, with many executions conducted in secret, denying prisoners a final meeting with their families.

Human rights organizations highlight a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities and migrants. Among those executed were 29 women and 973 men, as well as one juvenile offender, according to Hengaw. IHR also noted that 28 women were among those hanged, many reportedly convicted after killing a husband they had been forced to marry or who was violent.

International Calls for Action

The escalating number of executions has drawn strong condemnation from the international community. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHR, stated, 'In recent months the Islamic Republic has begun a mass killing campaign in Iran's prisons, the dimensions of which, in the absence of serious international reactions, are expanding every day.' He urged global leaders to prioritize the execution crisis in diplomatic discussions.

The UN Human Rights Office and its chief, Volker Türk, have repeatedly called on Iran to impose a moratorium on the application of capital punishment, citing that the death penalty is 'incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity.' Human Rights Watch has also pressed the international community to urge Iranian authorities to halt all executions. According to Amnesty International and other rights organizations, Iran ranks as the world's second most prolific executioner after China.