Iran’s execution rate has seen a significant surge, with a total of 975 people executed in 2024. This marks a 17% increase from the previous year’s 834 executions, according to a report by several NGOs that track the death penalty. Notably, this is the highest figure recorded since at least 2008, when documentation began.
Escalating Repression
The French organization Ensemble Contre la Peine de Mort, along with Iran Human Rights, which is based in Denmark, has condemned this “terrible climbing” of the use of the death penalty as a means of political repression by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Their annual report highlights the concerning trend of increasing executions, with the authorities only officially announcing 95 of the 975 cases – less than 10%. This represents a decrease from the previous year and a significant drop from the average of 33% between 2018 and 2020.
Executions and Charges
The majority of executions, 51.6%, were for drug-related crimes, while 43% of death sentences were due to murder charges. The report also notes that 31 of the executions were of women, a record figure, and that a minor was among those executed. Furthermore, two protesters and 192 prisoners of Baluchí and Kurdish ethnicity were also put to death.
A Tool of Repression
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of Iran Human Rights, emphasizes that these executions are part of the Islamic Republic’s war against its own people to maintain power. The significant increase in executions suggests that the regime is intensifying its repression, using the death penalty as a means to crush dissent and maintain control. As the international community continues to monitor the situation, it remains to be seen how this will impact the already tense relationship between Iran and the global community.