Un Says Iran Executed Over 900 People 2024 Including Dozens Women 2025 01 07
ReutersDEC 22 2024
UN: Iran Executed 901 People in 2024
Above: Protesters gather at Schuman Square to stage a protest against executions in Iran ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 8, 2021. Image copyright: Dursun Aydemir/Contributor/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The Facts
The UN human rights office said Tuesday that Iran executed 901 people in 2024, marking the highest number since 2015 when 972 people were put to death. The Islamic Republic executed at least 853 people in 2023.
The majority of executions were carried out for drug-related offenses, while political dissidents and individuals connected to the 2022 protests were also among those executed.
At least 31 women were executed last year, the highest number in at least 15 years, with many cases involving charges of murder stemming from domestic violence, child marriage, or forced marriage situations.
The Spin
Pro-Iran narrative
That there are currently 2K people on death row in American prisons shows Iran is not alone in using capital punishment as a necessary deterrent for major crimes — including murder, drug trafficking, rape, and sexual assault. Tehran is implementing this criminal justice policy as a restraining measure within the framework of Islamic law and national sovereignty to protect its society and culture.
Anti-Iran narrative
Iran uses the death penalty as a tool of political repression. The executions represent a tool to instill fear throughout society, particularly following the 2022-2023 nationwide protests. The international community must call for Tehran to end a practice that is flawed, unjust, and inhumane and align its justice system with global human rights standards.
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