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The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has reported that in 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran carried out over 1,000 executions in 86 prisons across the country. This staggering number represents a 16% increase from the previous year, making it an unprecedented figure in the past three decades.
The majority of these executions occurred in the second half of the year, with almost 70% taking place after the July election of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The NCRI suggests that these executions were a desperate attempt by the regime to suppress any potential uprising among the populace, especially during a time of regional defeats and mounting economic and social crises.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, condemned the executions as a violation of human rights and a clear indication of the regime’s desperation to maintain control. She called for an end to negotiations with the regime until these executions and acts of torture cease, and for the leaders responsible to be held accountable for their crimes against humanity.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, highlighted the regime’s increasing use of executions as a means to quell dissent and maintain power, especially during times of perceived weakness on the international stage.
The executed prisoners in Iran in 2024 included women, juveniles, Afghan nationals, and members of ethnic minorities such as the Baluchi minority. The disproportionate impact on minorities was noted by a United Nations fact-finding mission, which also found that the regime’s response to protests in 2022 targeted these groups.
Among those executed by the regime was journalist Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen and long-time resident of the United States, who was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 and charged with “corruption on earth.” His trial was deemed grossly unfair by human rights organizations.
In a chilling open letter, political prisoner Saeed Masouri described the constant fear and despair faced by inmates in Iranian prisons, where executions were occurring at an alarming rate. He detailed the emotional toll of living under the constant threat of death and witnessing the execution of innocent individuals.
As the new year began, the NCRI reported that 12 prisoners were executed by hanging in Iranian prisons on the first day of 2025, highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses in the country.
The regime’s record level of executions in 2024 serves as a stark reminder of the dire situation faced by prisoners in Iran and the urgent need for international intervention to address these grave human rights violations.
