In response to this surge, Spreading Justice examined the officials and institutions responsible for facilitating these executions. While such executions continue beyond the reporting period, this report focuses on the two months between March 18 and May 18, 2026, during which at least 32 individuals were executed following grossly unfair trials. The youngest among them, Amirhossein Hatami, was only 18 years old. Although limited in its temporal scope, the findings reflect a broader and ongoing pattern, with executions on political and security-related charges continuing at an alarming pace.

Others executed during this period were accused of involvement in the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests or alleged activity connected to the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025.

Comparatively, according to HRA documentation, between March 18 and May 18, 2025, a total of 198 individuals were executed in Iran, compared to 65 executions during the same period in 2026. However, only 8 individuals were executed on political and security-related charges in 2025, underscoring the sharp escalation in the use of executions as a tool of political repression in 2026.

Spreading Justice has identified the judicial authorities responsible for issuing these arbitrary death sentences. These individuals have long-standing records of involvement in violations of the right to life and the systematic denial of fair trial guarantees. Among them, Judge Iman Afshari has played a particularly central role. During this same period, Afshari sentenced at least eight individuals to death on political and security-related charges, including:

• ●Ehsan Hosseinipour Hessarlou (Sentence upheld)
• ●Matin Mohammadi (Sentence upheld)
• ●Erfan Amiri (Sentence upheld)
• ●Maryam Hodavand (Sentence upheld)
• ●Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl (Sentence overturned)
• ●Bita Hemmati (Sentence overturned)
• ●Behrouz Zamaninejad
• ●Kourosh Zamaninejad

Afshari is also implicated in at least six additional cases outlined below that resulted in arbitrary executions.

14 Individuals Executed Between March 18 and May 18, 2026, in Connection with the January 2026 Dey Protests

	Victim	Individuals Involved in Violations of the Right to Life
	Mehdi GhasemiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: March 19, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through use of a bladed weapon in unlawful gatherings leading to the killing of law enforcement agents; operational action for Israel and the United States; inciting people to war and murder	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Saleh MohammadiAge: 19 Date of Execution: March 19, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through use of a bladed weapon in unlawful gatherings leading to the killing of law enforcement agents; operational action for Israel and the United States; inciting people to war and murder	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Saeed DavoudiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: March 19, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through use of a bladed weapon in unlawful gatherings leading to the killing of law enforcement agents; operational action for Israel and the United States; inciting people to war and murder	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Amirhossein HatamiAge: 18 Date of Execution: April 2, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through participation in operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Abolghasem SalavatiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mohammad-Amin BiglariAge: 19 Date of Execution: April 5, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through participation in operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Abolghasem SalavatiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Shahin VahedparastAge: 30 Date of Execution: April 5, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through participation in operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Abolghasem SalavatiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Ali FahimAge: 23 Date of Execution: April 6, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through participation in operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Abolghasem SalavatiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Amirali MirjafariAge: 24 Date of Execution: April 21, 2026 Charge: Operational action for the Israeli regime and hostile governments; collaboration with Mossad-linked networks; arson and destruction of public property	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Erfan KianiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: April 25, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh through use of a bladed weapon to intimidate the public and participate in destruction of public property	Revolutionary Court of IsfahanGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Sasan Azadvar JunaqaniAge: 21 Date of Execution: April 30, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh (enmity against God)	Seyed-Mahmoud Kazem ZadehGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mehdi RasouliAge: 25 Date of Execution: May 3, 2026 Charge: Operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Gholamreza Akbari MoghadamGhasem MazinaniGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Ebrahim DolatabadiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: May 3, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh and leading the protests	Gholamreza Akbari MoghadamGhasem MazinaniGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mohammadreza MiriAge: 21 Date of Execution: May 3, 2026 Charge: Operational activities against national security for Israel, the United States, and opposition groups	Gholamreza Akbari MoghadamGhasem MazinaniGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mohammad AbbasiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: May 13, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh (enmity against God)	Abolghasem SalavatiSeyyed Kazem Sadati FiruzabadGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad

18 Individuals Executed on Political and Security Charges Unrelated to the January 2026 Protests

During this period, 18 individuals were also executed on political and security-related charges. However, these charges were not connected to the January protests. Instead, these individuals were executed for their alleged involvement in the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom protests and alleged activity during the 12-day war with Israel.

	Victim	Individuals Involved in Violations of the Right to Life
	Kourosh KeyvaniAge: Not specified Date of Execution: March 18, 2026 Charge: Espionage for Israel	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Akbar Daneshvar-KarAge: 59 Date of Execution: March 30, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Seyed Mohammad Taghavi-SangdehiAge: 60 Date of Execution: March 30, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Babak AlipourAge: Not specified Date of Execution: March 31, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Pouya GhobadiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: March 31, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Abolhassan MontazerAge: 68 Date of Execution: April 4, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Vahid BaniamerianAge: 34 Date of Execution: April 4, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through membership in opposition groups	Iman AfshariGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mohammad Masoum ShahiAge: Not specified Date of Execution: April 20, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh, cooperation with a hostile state, assembly and collusion against national security, and membership in a group with intent to disrupt national security	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Hamed ValidiAge: 45 Date of Execution: April 20, 2026 Charge: Moharebeh, cooperation with a hostile state, assembly and collusion against national security, and membership in a group with intent to disrupt national security	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mehdi FaridAge: 55 Date of Execution: April 22, 2026 Charge: Efsad-e fel-arz (corruption on earth) through cooperation with Israel	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Soltanali Shirzadi FakhrAge: Not specified Date of Execution: April 23, 2026 Charge: Cooperation with Israel and moharebeh	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Amer RameshAge: 22 Date of Execution: April 26, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) and membership in an armed opposition group	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Mehrab AbdollahzadehAge: 28 Date of Execution: May 2, 2026 Charge: Corruption on Earth	Ghorban ShahiniSeyyed Kazem Sadati FiruzabadGhasem MazinaniGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Yaghoub KarimpourAge: Not specified Date of Execution: May 2, 2026 Charge: Distributing information and images of military sites; manufacturing sound bombs; and field cooperation with Mossad officers	Sajjad DoostiGhasem MazinaniGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Naser BekrzadehAge: 26 Date of Execution: May 2, 2026 Charge: Espionage for Israel	Ghorban ShahiniSeyyed Kazem Sadati FiruzabadGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Erfan ShakourzadehAge: Not specified Date of Execution: May 11, 2026 Charge: Spying for CIA and the Mossad	Abolghasem SalavatiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Abdoljalil ShahbakhshAge: 24 Date of Execution: May 12, 2026 Charge: Baghi (armed rebellion) through armed attacks on law enforcement facilities and membership in the insurgent group Ansar al-Furqan	Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad
	Ehsan AfrashtehAge: Not specified Date of Execution: May 13, 2026 Charge: Spying for Israel	Abolghasem SalavatiSeyyed Kazem Sadati FiruzabadGhasem MazinaniSheykh Abbasali Alizade BaygiGholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’iMohammad-Jafar MontazeriMohammad Movahediazad

Definition and Nature of the “Prison Warden” in the Legal System of the Islamic Republic of Iran

The administration of all facilities for holding incarcerated persons (including prisons, detention centers, juvenile correctional institutions, and camps) is vested in the Prisons and Security and Corrective Measures Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The “Head of the Penal Institution (Prison Warden)” is the highest executive authority in each facility and is entrusted with implementing laws and regulations, maintaining order and security, supervising staff, protecting prisoners’ rights, and coordinating with judicial authorities.^[1]

The Role of the Prison Warden in Upholding Prisoners’ Rights

Based on the Executive Regulation of the Prisons and Security and Correctional Measures Organization (2021), the prison warden is obliged to:

• Ensure the implementation of laws, decisions of classification and disciplinary councils, and orders of judicial authorities;
• Supervise the behavior of staff toward prisoners and their families;
• Safeguard the institution’s security, prevent the entry of prohibited items, and manage incidents (including death, suicide, etc.);
• Organize welfare, healthcare, nutrition, education, employment, and rehabilitation programs;
• Pursue the use of electronic systems to record prisoners’ status and rights (Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2021, Article 9 and relevant chapters on structure and principles).

Consequently, many of the violations of prisoners’ rights are attributable to the prison warden when: (a) the warden personally commits unlawful conduct (such as degrading or violent behavior), or (b) the warden fails to fulfill supervisory and preventive duties, and such failure results in a violation of rights.

Understanding the Role of the Prison Warden in “Carrying Out Capital Punishment and Hudud (prescribed penalties under Islamic criminal law) Penalties.”

The Regulation on the Procedure for the Execution of Sentences of Hudud, Capital Punishment, Amputation, Qisas of Life, Limb and Injury, Diyah, Flogging, Exile, Banishment, Mandatory Residence, and Prohibition of Residence in Certain Locations (Regulation No. 9000/27863/200, dated 17 June 2019, issued by the Iran Head of the Judiciary)^[2] sets specific duties for the prison warden and/or deputy warden, including:

• Article 8: The criminal enforcement judge and the prison warden or deputy are obliged, before the execution of the sentence, to verify the identity based on valid identity documents or other conclusive evidence. If such documents are not presented or accessible, identity must be confirmed through inquiry with the Civil Registration Organization and other relevant authorities, and the results must be recorded in the case file.
• Article 35: The prison warden or deputy, acting solely in an administrative capacity, is obliged, pursuant to the order of the criminal enforcement judge, to facilitate the prisoner’s meeting with designated individuals.

Note: The meeting referred to here is the prisoner’s last meeting before execution. However, the regulation itself does not use the term ‘last meeting,’ and instead refers simply to a ‘meeting.’

• Article 39: In cases where the place of execution is outside the prison (i.e., a public execution), the prison warden or deputy, in addition to participating in the execution of capital punishment, is obliged to verify the incarcerated person’s identity against the court judgment by reviewing identity documents or other reliable evidence, confirm it, and sign the official record.
• Article 43: Preparation of the execution arrangements, following the notification by the Enforcement Judge, is among the duties of the prison warden or the deputy. The notification of the execution must be given at least 48 hours in advance to allow for the necessary arrangements.
• Article 44: After the execution of a capital punishment, the criminal enforcement judge must prepare an official record of the proceedings, which must be signed by the prison warden or deputy, the forensic physician or trusted physician, the victim’s heirs or their lawyer or representative (if present), and the local police chief or deputy.

This regulation was enacted pursuant to Article 216 of the 2013 Islamic Penal Code^[4] and Article 549 of the 2013 Code of Criminal Procedure^[5].

In many Iranian prisons, violations extend beyond domestic laws governing detainee treatment to breaches of international legal standards. For example, Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—which requires the humane treatment of prisoners and respect for their inherent dignity—is routinely violated through the actions of, and under the responsibility of, prison wardens in Iran.For example, in September this year, Babak Shahbazi^[6] was executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on charges of “espionage and intelligence and security cooperation with Israel.”

Allahkaram Azizi^[7], the head of Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, played a central role as the official responsible for coordinating and supervising the implementation of judicial rulings. He was instrumental in preparing the grounds, issuing orders, overseeing the presence of security and medical personnel, and carrying out the execution.

In another case, a prisoner named Amir Neysi^[8] died in Ahvaz Central Prison due to a severe infection and lack of adequate medical care in prison.

According to a report by HRANA, he had recently contracted an internal infection, and despite a rising fever and the worsening of his physical condition, prison authorities refused to transfer him to a medical facility outside the prison.

Khosrow Torofi^[9], the head of this prison, who is responsible for the supervision and protection of the lives of prisoners, is responsible in part for these violations.

Spreading Justice Information on the Prison Wardens of the Past and Present

One of the core goals behind establishing the Spreading Justice initiative was to show how officials implicated in human rights violations continue to be promoted, protected, or kept in their posts despite the allegations against them.

Recently, however, the Prisons, Security, and Corrective Measures Organization, part of Iran’s Judiciary, has restricted access to the news section of its website for users outside Iran. This has prevented the documentation of key information, including the new workplace assignments of former prison wardens. These updates now appear to be deliberately concealed, obscuring their movement up the chain of command.

Despite this, Spreading Justice continues to complete and update these records through alternative methods. To counter such tactics, our database enables users to download PDF versions of reports and other relevant documents, ensuring that even if similar restrictions are imposed elsewhere, the removal of online content will not prevent access to essential information.

^[1]Prisons and Security and Correctional Measures Organization. (2021). Executive regulation of the Prisons and Security and Correctional Measures Organization [PDF]. Ekhtebar. https://www.ekhtebar.ir/wp–content/uploads/2021/05/آیین%E2%80%8Cنامه–اجرایی–سازمان–زندان%E2%80%8Cها–و–اقدامات–تامینی–و–تربیتی–کشور.pdf

^[2] Regulation on the Procedure for Execution of Hudud Sentences, Capital Punishment, Amputation, Qisas of Life, Limb and Injury, Diyah, Flogging, Exile, Banishment, Mandatory Residence and Prohibition of Residence in Certain Locations. (2019, June 17). Regulation No. 9000/27863/200 [PDF]. Ekhtebar. https://www.ekhtebar.ir/%D8%A2%DB%8C%DB%8C%D9%86%E2%80%8C%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%AD%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF%D8%8C-%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%AD/

^[3] “Iran: Islamic Penal Code (Approved April 21, 2013),” Ekhtebar (PDF), https://www.ekhtebar.ir/wp–content/uploads/2013/05/قانون–مجازات-92-1.pdf.

^[4] “Criminal Procedure Code of Iran, with Amendments 2015,” Ekhtebar (PDF), https://www.ekhtebar.ir/wp–content/uploads/2015/06/قانون–آیین–دادرسی–کیفری–با–اصلاحات-1394-سایت–حقوقی–اختبار1.pdf.

^[5] Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced the execution of Babak Shahbazi, Hrana, 17 September 2025.https://www.hra-news.org/2025/hranews/a-56640

^[6] Spreading Justice – Individual Violator Profile: Allahkaram Azizi. https://spreadingjustice.org/individual-violator/sj67409/

^[7] Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz: Death of a Prisoner Due to Lack of Medical Care, 18 November 2025.
https://www.hra-news.org/2025/hranews/a-de214296/

^[8]Spreading Justice – Individual Violator Profile: Khosrow Torofi. https://spreadingjustice.org/individual-violator/sj32049/

As of May 2023, Iran has been executing an average of 10 people per week. From 2013 to 2023, HRANA has identified a total of 4,829 executions, out of which 2,196 were drug-related. The majority of those executed were men. Iran has also executed 41 juvenile offenders including one for a drug-related offense. It’s important to note that Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which strictly emphasizes that the death penalty should only be used for the “most serious crimes,” and any deviation from this principle would be considered a violation of the Right to Life.

In 2017, the Iranian government accepted amendments to the country’s Drug Law, introducing 46 new articles. These amendments primarily raised the minimum possession amount for both natural and synthetic drugs before the death penalty could be imposed. As a result, individuals found with lesser amounts could face fines or imprisonment instead. This amendment, at first sight, significantly reduced the number of executions related to drug offenses. In previous years, drug charges accounted for a significant portion, ranging from 40% to 60%, of all executions. However, from 2018 to 2020, this percentage never exceeded 10%. There are a number of competing analyses surrounding this drop. Unfortunately, this positive trend was short-lived, as drug-related offenses constituted 49.20% of all executions in 2021. Despite international outcry and purported efforts to curb drug-related executions, the number of executions continues to rise, often leading to protests from the families of the prisoners.

It is crucial to acknowledge that Iran’s domestic judicial system is plagued with numerous due process violations. These violations include coerced forced confessions, torture, inhumane treatment, and a lack of adequate legal representation to name a mere few. Frequently, judges and prosecutors involved in grave right to life violations act with absolute impunity. 

• Farajollah Kargar
• Seyed-Mostafa Mahmoudi Moghadam
• Mohammad Karimi
• Mohammad-Reza Amouzad
• Asadollah Jafari
• Heydar Asiabi
• Mohammad-Vali Abdollahi:
• Salman Adinehvand
• Ahmad Ghorbani
• Mohsen Nikvarz
• Ali Zare Nouri
• Yadollah Movahed
  

It is evident that any death sentence imposed for drug-related offenses represents a clear violation of the right to life. Skylar Thompson, Director of Global Advocacy and Accountability at HRA says, “The persistence of such executions, particularly when trials are marred by due process violations, is deeply concerning. Iran should immediately establish a moratorium on all executions, with a view to abolishing the death penalty in all circumstances.”

Cars and crowds gathered outside Dastgerd prison in the Iranian city of Isfahan on Sunday night, in the hopes that their demonstration could halt the execution of three men facing death on charges connected to the anti-government protests that began last year and swept the country.

Days earlier, Iran’s state broadcaster had aired footage of the harried-looking men — Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi and Saleh Mirhashemi — appearing to confess and incriminate one another. Rights groups said the statements, which authorities often air ahead of executions, were very likely given under torture or duress.

The men survived the night. But the executions, for which authorities have not publicly provided a date, are thought to be imminent. The three are not alone: In response to the protests, Tehran has wielded the threat of capital punishment to crack down on and deter dissent, local and international rights groups say, amid a spate of executions in 2023 — at least 209 in just five months, according to the United Nations.

Executions overall were on the rise in Iran last year, according to human rights group Amnesty International’s annual report on global executions, released this week — a trend that appears set to continue.

Since December, Iran has executed four men for alleged crimes committed during the protests. Forty have been charged with capital offenses and the Supreme Court has upheld eight cases, the Isfahan ones included, according to Skylar Thompson, the head of global advocacy and accountability at HRANA, a Virginia-based activist news agency focused on Iran.

The three men are accused of fatally shooting two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Basij volunteer force, and one police officer, on Nov. 16, 2022, during the height of the “women, life, freedom” movement that erupted this fall amid protests rejecting clerical rule. The ordeal became known as the Isfahan House case after a historical site close to the alleged attack.

The three men were arrested on Nov. 21. After a swift trial, one of the judges most associated with sentencing protesters to hang found them guilty of “waging war against god,” a charge that can merit the death penalty under Iran’s legal system, which is based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Advocates say the government did not present credible evidence of a connection between the defendants and the bullets and guns allegedly used in the killings, or a consistent account of the central facts of the case. The defendants were reportedly denied access to a lawyer of their choosing — as is the norm in Iran’s Revolutionary Courts, which serve as a parallel legal system to protect the Islamic republic.

Soon after the trial, Kazemi called his mother from Isfahan’s Dastgerd prison and told her they were tortured and forced to confess, according to the family. “We were told to say these things in court all of it under torture. I did not have any gun or do anything,” Kazemi told his fiancee, according to a recording of the call obtained by HRANA, which The Washington Post has not verified independently. A judge upheld the ruling in early May.

On Monday, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, the head of Iran’s judiciary, said that his institution would use “the utmost decisiveness and speed of action” in cases of killed Iranian security forces, according to comments carried by state media outlets. He did not directly address the Isfahan case.

Before his arrest, Kazemi, 31, had a business making copper kitchenware, according to news reports. Mirhashemi, 36, is a karate champion and bodybuilder instructor. Yaqoubi, 38, worked at a real estate company and was the sole caretaker of his elderly parents, Thompson said.

More than 20,000 people were arrested and at least 500 people killed during the anti-government protest movement that swept Iran for months after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in mid-September, in the custody of the country’s so-called morality police. Iranian authorities have released many protesters starting in February but have simultaneously stepped up enforcement of mandatory hijabs for women.

In tandem with the ongoing political repression, Iran has carried out this year a “frightening” spate of executions unrelated to the protest movement, mainly of men from minority communities charged with drug offenses, U.N. rights chief Volker Turk said in a recent statement. The country’s more than 200 executions this year form an “abominable record” amounting to about 10 people killed each week, in a country among those leading the world in executions.

Exact figures are likely higher yet impossible to determine: there is little transparency around charges, trials and the outcomes of these cases. Families of those executed or on death row are often under extreme government pressure to stay silent.

Last year, Iran executed at least 576 people, an increase of 83 percent from the previous year’s record of at least 314 people, according to the Amnesty International report.

The recent “alarming surge in executions” is part of a broader pattern of impunity that’s been ongoing for years, said Thompson. Individual cases often draw international attention for a period, she said. But executions continue “because of a complete lack of accountability.”

“In the meantime, people’s lives hang in the balance,” she said.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, there has been a noticeable increase in the execution of prisoners in Iranian prisons over the past week.

Based on the reports compiled by HRANA, the death sentences were carried out in several prisons, including Rajai Shahr (Karaj), Ghezel Hesar (Karaj), Urmia, Ardabil, Dastgerd (Isfahan), Vakilabad (Mashhad), Neishabur, Torbat-e-Jam, Rasht, Yazd, Birjand, Qazvin, Minab, Bandar Abbas, Zahedan, Khorramabad, and Iranshahr.

Out of the 45 executed prisoners, 29 were convicted of drug-related charges, while at least 15 were executed for murder.
At least 19 death-row prisoners were also transferred to solitary confinement in Salmas, Urmia, Khorin, Ghezel Hesar (Karaj), Yazd, Bandar Abbas, Birjand, and Zahedan, which could be a prelude to their execution. HRANA is investigating their fate, and the statistics presented in this report could increase.

As of the time of writing, most of these executions have not been announced by official sources or media inside Iran.

The issuance and execution of death sentences violate the right to live and have been heavily criticized by international organizations, with Iran ranking first globally in execution rate per capita.

In 2022, the Department of Statistics and Publication of Human Rights Activists in Iran registered 457 reports on the execution of 565 people and death sentences for 92 people, six of whom were sentenced to be hanged in public. Of these 565 executions, two death sentences were carried out in public, and five were juvenile offenders who were under 18 years old at the time of committing the alleged crime.

At least 192 people, including 8 women, have been executed in Iran from January 1 to May 5. The majority of these executions were for drug-related offenses and murder. Moreover, 71 death sentences were issued, and 27 other sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The breakdown of charges for these executions is as follows: 122 individuals were executed for drug-related offenses, 59 for murder, 6 for undisclosed charges, 1 for adultery, 1 for ideological charges, 1 for corruption, 1 for Moharebeh (political security), and 1 for non-political Moharebeh.

Skylar Thompson, the head of Global Advocacy and Accountability of Human Rights Activists, stated that “the surging rate of executions in Iran illustrates an utter disregard for human life. Under no circumstance does the ongoing use of the death penalty, for drug-related offenses in particular, amount to what is permittable under international law. Iranian authorities have an absolute obligation to uphold international human rights standards and instead, there is ongoing impunity for grave violations of the right to life–and more. The international community must not delay in sounding the alarm, they should call for a stay of executions for those currently facing execution and a moratorium on the death penalty, at a minimum, for crimes not amounting to “most serious” under international law.”