In the first seven months of 2024, Iran has executed over 300 individuals, a report by Iran International revealed on Monday. This figure continues a troubling trend from the previous year, where the country saw a significant increase in executions.
In 2023, a total of 834 people were executed, marking a 43% rise from the 582 executions recorded in 2022, according to the NGO Iran Human Rights and Together Against Death Penalty.
The NGO’s report highlights a concerning lack of transparency, noting that only 15% of the executions in 2023 were officially announced. The remaining 85%, which amounts to 709 executions, occurred without any formal acknowledgment from Iranian authorities.
The rate of executions saw a brief decline following the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi, from mid-May to early July 2024. However, the frequency of executions surged again in July, with 49 people executed, including 36 in the last 11 days of the month.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO) documented these developments in a report released on Saturday.
Among those executed this year, five were accused of spying for Israel, and another five were Kurdish-Sunni political prisoners. Notably, the individuals accused of espionage, including Pejman Fatehi, Mohsen Mazloum, Mohammad (Hazhir) Faramarzi, and Wafa Azarbar, were executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj in January.
Human rights groups have condemned these executions, citing the use of confessions obtained under torture and the lack of fair trials.
The targeting of ethnic minorities remains a significant concern. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Director of IHRNGO, expressed alarm over the increasing number of executions involving members of minority communities.
Over 20% of this year’s executions involved ethnic minorities, with 14% being Balush individuals, 6% Kurdish, and another 6% Afghan nationals.
In a recent development, a 34-year-old Kurdish man was executed on Tuesday for allegedly killing a security officer during protests related to the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini.
This execution marks the first known protest-related death sentence carried out since the new president assumed office. Amini’s death in police custody in September 2022 ignited widespread protests against the Shi’ite clerical regime.
Reza Rasaei, who joined the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in November 2022, was accused of murdering Nader Bayrami, the intelligence chief for the Revolutionary Guards in Sahneh county.
Rasaei, a Kurdish member of a religious minority, was sentenced to death in October 2023 and executed on Tuesday, according to the official judiciary news agency Mizan.
The sharp increase in executions and the continued targeting of activists and minority groups highlight ongoing human rights concerns in Iran.
The international community continues to watch closely as reports of these practices persist, underscoring the need for greater transparency and accountability in Iran’s judicial processes.