Iran’s executions hit 975 in 2024, highest in 16 years

Human rights groups report alarming rise in Iran’s use of the death penalty.

Portraits are displayed alongside a placard reading "charge regime leaders with murder of protesters - EU must act" in front of the Brandenburg Gate during a demonstration by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Berlin, Germany, on February 10, 2024. Photo by Stefanie Loos/AFP

By Nada Fadiyah and Clarisa Sendy

Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, marking a "horrifying escalation" in the country’s use of the death penalty, according to a joint report released on Thursday by Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French organization Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM). The figure represents the highest annual total since IHR began tracking executions in Iran in 2008, raising grave concerns among international human rights advocates.

The report alleges that the Islamic republic has increasingly relied on capital punishment as a "central tool of political oppression" amid mounting domestic unrest and geopolitical tensions.

"These executions are part of the Islamic republic's war against its own people to maintain its grip on power," IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said in a statement. "Five people were executed on average every single day in the last three months of the year as the threat of war between Iran and Israel escalated."

The staggering total reflects a 17 percent increase over the 834 executions recorded in 2023, signaling a sharp rise in state-sanctioned killings that has drawn international condemnation.

A disturbing pattern of public executions

Of the 975 executions carried out last year, four took place in public, a practice designed to instill fear among the population, according to the report. Additionally, 31 women were among those executed—also the highest number recorded in the past 17 years.

Iran, often labeled the world’s most prolific executioner after China, has a long history of using capital punishment as a means of social control. Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Iranian government of leveraging the death penalty to suppress dissent, particularly after the wave of nationwide protests that began in 2022.

Death sentences for political dissent

The protests erupted in September 2022 following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code. The unrest that followed was met with a brutal crackdown, and since then, Iranian authorities have continued to use the judicial system to punish and intimidate protesters.

Two of the executions reported in 2024 were directly linked to those protests.

In January 2024, 23-year-old Mohammad Ghobadlu was executed on charges of killing a police officer by driving into a group of security forces during a protest in October 2022. Human rights groups denounced the trial as deeply flawed, citing the court’s refusal to consider evidence that Ghobadlu suffered from bipolar disorder.

In another case, 34-year-old Gholamreza Rasaei was executed in secret in August, accused of killing a member of the Revolutionary Guard during the 2022 demonstrations. Activists claim his confession was extracted under torture, a common tactic used by Iranian authorities to secure convictions.

Executions as a legal and political weapon

Iran’s sharia-based legal system, established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, allows for capital punishment for a wide range of offenses, including murder, rape, and drug trafficking. However, activists say vague charges like "corruption on earth" and "rebellion" are frequently applied to political dissidents and protesters, enabling the state to eliminate opponents under the guise of legal proceedings.

Executions in Iran are typically carried out by hanging, often in prison courtyards but occasionally in public squares—grim spectacles intended to reinforce the regime’s authority and deter further unrest.

More executions than reported?

The true scale of Iran’s use of the death penalty may be even larger than the numbers reported by IHR and ECPM. The groups noted that they were unable to verify an additional 39 executions in 2024 due to a lack of corroborating sources.

Already in 2025, the pace of executions shows no sign of slowing. According to IHR’s count, Iran has carried out at least 121 executions since the start of the year, setting the stage for another grim tally.

International calls for accountability

The rise in executions has prompted renewed calls for international action to hold Iran accountable for its human rights violations. Advocates are urging governments and international bodies to increase diplomatic pressure on Tehran, including the imposition of targeted sanctions against officials responsible for the abuses.

"We must not allow the Iranian authorities to normalize this state of terror," Amiry-Moghaddam said. "The international community must take concrete action to end this cycle of oppression and bloodshed."

As Iran continues to face internal dissent and external pressures, human rights observers warn that the regime’s reliance on executions as a tool of control may only intensify, further isolating the country on the world stage while inflicting immeasurable suffering on its people.