Iran carried out highest number of executions in three decades this year, says NGO
Independent2 days
Report: Iran Executed 1K This Year, Highest in Three Decades
Above: Portraits of executed Iranians are displayed in an area of Esplanades des Invalides in Paris on July 8, 2025. Image copyright: Delphine Touitou/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Iran narrative
The death penalty and executions in the Islamic Republic are reserved for the gravest offenses, in line with legal provisions under Iran's domestic laws. They are a necessary response to serious criminal activity and national security threats in a region facing unprecedented instability. Nonetheless, Tehran is actively striving to restrict the use of capital punishment, aiming to limit it strictly to cases involving the most serious crimes, reflecting efforts to ensure proportional justice.
Anti-Iran narrative
The systematic execution of over 1,000 people in nine months constitutes crimes against humanity designed to intimidate Iranian society and crush dissent through state terror. This mass killing campaign targets vulnerable populations, including ethnic minorities and migrants, while denying due process, with most cases involving non-lethal drug offenses that fail to meet international standards for capital punishment. The world needs to stop the regime from eliminating opposition voices.