901 People Executed in Iran in 2024

Author: Aisha Noor

February 12, 2025

According to the United Nations (UN) human rights chief Volker Türk, the number of executions in Iran during 2024 surged to 901, setting a record high. Drug offenses account for the largest number of executions with total executions surging by 6% since the previous year. However, the death penalty extends beyond drug-related offenses, as it has been implemented against both dissidents and those connected to the events that happened during the 2022 protests.

The Iranian government continues to use the threat of executions to spread fear amongst dissenters and to secure social control. Since the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody, "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests have spread throughout the country, challenging the government’s harsh treatment of its citizens, especially women.

Iran continues to disregard international human rights law by violating the right to life. International law specifies that the death penalty should apply exclusively to cases involving the "most serious crimes" under which drug-related offenses, including those involving women and ethnic minorities, fail to qualify. HRRC demands Iran halt all planned executions and calls upon the government to establish a complete ban on capital punishment.

Upon further investigation, it is evident that ethnic and religious minorities face a higher chance of being executed, representing more than half of those executed during 2024. Additionally, international human rights law prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders, which Iran has ignored.

Glossary

• Accountable – Responsible for something, especially for actions or decisions.

• Alarming – Causing concern or worry due to being unexpected or serious.

• Capital Punishment – Punishment by death : the practice of killing people as punishment for serious crimes.

• Condemned – Expressed complete disapproval of something, typically in public.

• Crackdown – A severe attempt to stop or limit something, typically a protest or illegal activity.

• Custody – Immediate charge and control (as over a ward or a suspect) exercised by a person or an authority.

• Disproportionate – Out of proportion or unequal in size, amount, or importance.

• Dissent – The expression of opinions that are different from those commonly or officially held.

• Dissident  – Disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system, organization, or belief.

• Ethnic minorities – Groups of people who share a common cultural, linguistic, or ancestral heritage that is different from the majority population.

• Execution – The carrying out of a death sentence or legal punishment.

• Human Rights – The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

• Impose – To force or apply something on others, such as rules or penalties.

• Incompatible – Not able to exist or work together without conflict.

• Instilled – To gradually and firmly establish an idea or feeling within someone's mind.

• International law – A set of rules and agreements that govern relations between countries.

• Juvenile offenders – Young individuals who commit a crime or unlawful act.

• Moratorium – A temporary suspension or delay in the use or enforcement of something.

• Proportionate – Corresponding in size or degree to something else; balanced or fair.

• Reiterated – Said or done again, often for emphasis or clarity.

• Suppression – The act of preventing or putting an end to something, such as expression or protest.

• Threshold – The level or point at which something begins or changes.

• Violation – The act of breaking or disregarding a law, rule, or agreement.

Sources

1. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced8qw8q62jo

2. https://euaa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/publications/2024-06/2024_06_COI_Report_Iran_Country_Focus_EN_0.pdf

3. https://www.hrw.org/legacy/un/chr59/deathpenalty.htm