By Ahmad al-Remeh
The Iranian regime has carried out an unprecedented wave of executions over the past year, reaching a record 1,153 executions in the Iranian calendar year 1403 (March 2024 – March 2025). This marks a 42% increase compared to the previous year, according to data from Iranian opposition sources and human rights groups.
The executions were carried out across 94 prisons in 31 provinces, with the vast majority — 961 cases, or 83% — taking place during the short tenure of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who assumed office in late July 2024. Among the victims were 38 women and 7 juveniles, while at least seven executions were carried out publicly in various cities, often with disturbing displays of violence.
The sharp rise in executions has been widely interpreted as a reaction to growing political instability and fear of domestic unrest. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), linked the surge to the regime’s deepening internal crisis.
“As the regime’s expansionist and military policies collapse under pressure, and as the specter of a nationwide uprising looms, the authorities are using mass executions to instill fear and prevent dissent,” Rajavi said.
She urged the international community to condition all dealings with Tehran on halting executions and torture, and called for Iran’s human rights dossier to be referred to the United Nations Security Council. She also reiterated calls for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior officials to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
Exclusive data obtained by the NCRI and other opposition sources shows the executions have accelerated dramatically in recent months:
- February 2025 (Bahman 1403): 74 executions, compared to 36 in February 2024.
- March 2025 (Esfand 1403): 121 executions, up from 21 in March 2024 — nearly six times higher, despite coinciding with Ramadan, traditionally a month of fewer executions.
Execution spikes were also documented on specific days:
- August 7, 2024 & March 1, 2025: 29 executions
- February 26, 2025: 25 executions
- January 1, 2025: 21 executions
- October 16, 2024: 20 executions
Among the victims were three brothers from the Baluch minority — Jalal, Javad, and Ali Reza Afagh — executed in Mashhad, and two brothers, Gholam Hosseinfar and Ebrahim Khalilifar, executed in the same city. One case involved the execution of a father and son together in the city of Qorveh.
The highest numbers of executions were recorded in the following prisons:
- Qezel Hesar (Karaj): 186 executions
- Adel Abad (Shiraz): 112
- Dastgerd (Isfahan): 88
- Tabriz Central Prison: 62
- Vakilabad (Mashhad): 46
- Chubin Dar (Qazvin): 37
- Zahedan Central Prison: 34
- Yazd Central Prison: 30
- Karaj Central Prison: 29
- Lakan (Rasht) and Zanjan Central Prison: 27 each
Notably, 135 of the victims were from Sistan and Baluchestan, a province long marginalized by Tehran. The Baluch minority, despite representing a small portion of Iran’s population, accounted for 12% of all executions — a disproportionately high number that raises concerns of targeted repression.
From the 605 victims whose ages were confirmed, the average age was under 36 years old — highlighting the youth of those facing the death penalty. The number of women executed nearly doubled compared to the previous year (from 20 to 38), while seven of the executed individuals were juveniles at the time of the alleged offenses.
More than half of the victims (566 individuals) were executed for drug-related offenses, a charge often used broadly by the regime. However, opposition groups argue that while low-level offenders are executed en masse, drug trafficking in Iran is dominated by powerful networks tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Supreme Leader Khamenei’s inner circle, generating billions in illicit revenue.
Rajavi emphasized that Iran’s leadership has long used executions as a tool of control:
“For 45 years, the clerical regime has relied on two pillars: internal repression — marked by torture and executions — and external aggression, through terrorism and military intervention,” she said.
“Today, as its regional influence declines and the risk of public uprising grows, it is doubling down on a policy of mass killing.”
She also called on young Iranians to join the “No to Execution” movement and publicly oppose what she described as “barbaric state violence.”
Global Implications
Rajavi warned that the international community’s silence or appeasement risks emboldening Tehran:
“Overlooking the regime — the world’s foremost executioner and sponsor of terrorism — is not only a betrayal of human rights, but also a real threat to regional and global stability,” she said.
She urged global powers to link any negotiations or agreements with Iran to tangible progress on human rights, including an immediate moratorium on executions.
In her final remarks, Rajavi echoed the July 2024 report of a former UN Special Rapporteur, calling for Khamenei and other top officials to be brought before an international tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide.
And the question will remain: When will the Iranian people be free of this brutal regime?
