Over a thousand death sentences carried out by Iran within a single year, according to United Nations report.
Hear it straight: Iran's grim title as the globe's most enthusiastic executioner is alarmingly intact. According to the latest UN report, a staggering 1000 souls met their end on the wrong side of Iran's justice system in 2025.
The UN Deputy Human Rights Commissioner, Nada Al-Nashif, unveiled this chilling statistic during the presentation of a report on Iran last month. This total outnumbers 2024's execution count by an alarming 14 percent, making it the highest figure since 2015.
More than half of these death sentences were handed out for drug offenses (52%), followed closely by murder (43%), security offenses (3%), and sexual offenses (2%). Public executions number around 4, according to the report.
Last week, a man was put to death in Iran for allegedly inciting the nationwide protests that erupted under the "Woman, Life, Freedom" slogan in the fall of 2022. The justice system in the Islamic Republic pronounced him guilty of "waging war against God."
Amnesty International ranked Iran as the world's second-deadliest nation after China in terms of executions in 2024. Most countries have scrapped the death penalty, but Iran continues to employ it unapologetically.
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Behind the Scenes
When we delve deeper into the disquieting numbers, it's clear that Iran isn't just fishing for fish. Murder, drug-related offenses, political dissent, and other grave charges are the primary motivations for the overwhelming number of executions.
- Murder: Executions for murder charges form a sizeable portion of the total count.
- Drug-related offenses: A significant number of sentences are handed out for drug crimes.
- Political dissent and protests: Many executions target political prisoners and protest-related cases, exposing a brutal crackdown on political opposition and ethnic minorities.
- Rape and non-political corruption: There have been executions for rape and corruption charges.
- Espionage: Espionage accusations have led to some of the executions, like that of Pedram Madani in 2025.
The UN and global human rights organizations have implored Iran to reconsider or abandon its use of capital punishment, joining a growing chorus of international condemnation against Iran's escalating use of executions as a tool to suppress dissent and maintain power under its theocratic regime.
Sources: ntv.de, mpa/dpa, Amnesty International, United Nations
- The escalating use of executions in Iran for charges such as murder, drug-related offenses, political dissent, and other serious crimes raises concerns about the Iranian government's administration of justice.
- The United Nations, global human rights organizations, and numerous international bodies have voiced their concerns and urged Iran to reconsider or abolish capital punishment, citing the excessive use of these punishments as a tool to suppress dissent and maintain power under Iran's theocratic regime.
