Iran’s 2024 execution tally has reached alarming heights, sending ripples of concern through the international community.
Key Insights
- Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, marking a significant increase in the use of capital punishment.
- This figure is the highest since Iran Human Rights (IHR) began recording executions in 2008.
- The executions are described as a “horrifying escalation” and a tool of political oppression.
- An average of five people were executed daily in the last three months of 2024 amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel.
- Tension around human rights concerns grows internationally due to these executions.
Staggering Rise in Executions
In 2024, Iran executed at least 975 people, marking an alarming increase in the application of capital punishment. According to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights and the French group Together Against the Death Penalty, this marks the highest recorded figure since records began being kept in 2008. This surge is perceived as a crucial mechanism of political suppression and control, a formidable response to internal dissent symbolic of the regime’s intransigence.
The executions, described by activists as a “horrifying escalation,” are aimed at maintaining constitutional order amid unrest. In the last quarter of 2024, amid tensions with Israel, an average of five inmates faced the death penalty every day. This data signals a significant operational uptick in response to what the Tehran government perceives as destabilizing influences and threats to state integrity.
Human Rights and Political Pressure
The 2024 execution count presents a 17% increase from the 834 executions recorded in the preceding year. Among those executed were four individuals publicly hanged, as well as 31 women—the highest number of female executions in 17 years—reflecting the broad and severe application of justice measures by the government. Iran stands as the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, an indication of the regime’s heavy reliance on capital punishment to maintain authority.
“These executions are part of the Islamic Republic’s war against its own people to maintain its grip on power.” – Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam
The backdrop to this policy remains evident. The execution of thousands functions as an instrument of fear, particularly following nationwide protests—such as those in 2022 after Mahsa Amini’s tragic death. These executions included capital sentences for a wide range of crimes, including those perceived as threats to national security, reflective of a Sharia-based judicial system established after the 1979 revolution.
International Condemnation
Reports of further undisclosed executions add to the breadth of Iran’s escalating execution policy. Sources suggest an additional 39 executions in 2024 remain uncorroborated, underscoring the opaque nature of the judicial proceedings governing capital punishment in the country. Already, at least 121 executions have occurred in 2025, reinforcing global human rights advocates’ calls for scrutinizing Tehran’s oppressive penal methodologies.
Iran’s 2024 execution surge poses significant challenges to international norms surrounding human rights and fair judicial processes. The continuation of such policies sends a troubling signal to the world about the lengths to which Iran is prepared to go to stifle dissent. Observers fear that such a trajectory may further isolate the Islamic Republic from broader global acceptance.
