Iran carried out 1,000 executions this year, says Amnesty

Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people so far this year, human rights watchdog Amnesty International said on Friday.

This was the highest number of yearly executions in Iran recorded by Amnesty in at least 15 years, the organization reported.

“The ongoing escalation of executions in Iran has reached horrific proportions as the Iranian authorities continue to systematically weaponize the death penalty as a tool of repression and to quash dissent while displaying a chilling assault on the right to life,” said Heba Morayef, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.

At the end of August, the United Nations observed 841 executions since the beginning of the year, a sharp increase in executions compared to previous years. According to UN figures, there were at least 975 executions in total in 2024.

During the war against Israel in June and after a ceasefire came into force, Iran’s security authorities cracked down on alleged collaborators with the country’s arch-enemy. Iranian media reported a number of executions for alleged espionage for Israel.