The number of executions carried out in Iran during 2025 is estimated to have more than doubled compared with the previous year, according to international human rights monitors. The figures point to one of the deadliest years in recent decades for capital punishment in the country.
Norwegian-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) told the BBC it had verified at least 1,500 executions up to the start of December 2025. The organisation said many more executions are believed to have taken place in recent weeks, suggesting the final total could be significantly higher.
In comparison, IHR verified 975 executions across Iran in 2024. The exact number is difficult to determine, as Iranian authorities do not publish official execution statistics and many cases are carried out without public announcement.
Despite the lack of transparency, the sharp rise is consistent with figures released by other human rights organisations monitoring capital punishment in Iran. Together, the data indicate another significant annual increase in executions.
Iran’s government has repeatedly defended its use of the death penalty, arguing it is applied only in cases involving “the most severe crimes”. Officials maintain that capital punishment is a necessary tool to ensure public security and deter serious criminal activity.
However, execution numbers had already been climbing even before mass protests erupted across the country in 2022. Those demonstrations followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman detained by morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.
The nationwide protests that followed marked one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocratic leadership in years. Demonstrators called for greater freedoms and accountability, while security forces launched a sweeping crackdown.
In the wake of those protests, the pace of executions accelerated sharply. According to IHR, around 520 executions were verified in 2022, rising to 832 in 2023 as authorities moved to reassert control.
While some protesters and individuals accused of spying have been executed, rights groups say the overwhelming majority of executions remain linked to criminal charges. Around 99% of those put to death were convicted of murder or drug-related offences, a ratio that has remained largely unchanged.
Activists argue that the timing of execution surges is closely linked to moments when the Iranian leadership feels politically threatened. They say executions are used to instil fear, discourage dissent and send a warning to society at large.
This pattern appears to have continued in 2025. Since the 12-day conflict with Israel in June, as well as major setbacks suffered by Iran’s proxy forces across the region, monitoring groups have recorded another sharp rise in executions.
Human rights advocates believe regional instability, combined with domestic economic pressures and lingering public anger, has heightened the government’s sense of vulnerability. In response, they say, authorities have relied more heavily on harsh punishments.
International organisations have repeatedly called on Iran to halt executions, particularly for drug-related crimes, and to introduce greater judicial transparency. Iran remains one of the world’s leading executioners, alongside China and Saudi Arabia.
Despite growing international criticism, there is little sign that Tehran intends to change course. For activists, the latest figures underline deep concerns about human rights in Iran and the continuing use of capital punishment as a tool of state power.