67 Executions in One Month and Escalation of Suppression of Political and Religious Prisoners
While the Islamic Republic continues to use execution as a tool to instill fear and silence the voices of opponents, human rights reports indicate that at least 67 death sentences were carried out in July 2026; nine of those executed were political and religious prisoners, and many of the sentences were carried out in news silence.
While officials of the Islamic Republic constantly attempt to justify executions within the framework of “administering justice,” the latest reports published by international bodies and human rights organizations show that the process of executing death sentences in Iran continues at pace, and capital punishment has become more than ever a tool for suppressing opponents, protesters, and creating an atmosphere of terror in society.
According to the monthly report of the human rights organization Hengaw, in July 2026 at least 67 prisoners were executed in various prisons across Iran. Although this figure has decreased compared to 96 executions recorded in July 2025, human rights defenders emphasize that this statistical decrease does not mean the cessation of the Islamic Republic’s execution machinery; rather, the issuance and execution of death sentences continues unabated, and particularly against political and ideological prisoners, a concerning trend has emerged.
Hengaw has verified the identities of all 67 executed individuals, and among them, nine were political and religious prisoners; individuals who had been sentenced to death on charges such as “moharebeh” (enmity against God), “baghi” (rebellion), and “espionage.” Among these individuals are the names of “Mohiuddin Abdullahi,” “Hussein Palani Jaf,” “Mohammad Amini Dehghani,” “Aref Khoshkar,” “Erfan Esfandiari,” “Golmohammad Mohammadi,” “Mehdi Khanki,” “Abolfahal Sepahi,” and “Amir Hossein Safari.” These individuals were executed on various days in July in prisons in Kermanshah, Isfahan, and Qarchak, or in public executions.
The execution of Abolfahal Sepahi and Amir Hossein Safari, who were among those arrested during nationwide protests, received widespread coverage in international media when carried out publicly in the city of Isfahan. The Associated Press news agency, referring to these two executions, wrote that human rights organizations have warned about the legal proceedings, forced confessions, and the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment to suppress protests.
Among those executed last month were also two women: “Setayesh Mohammadpour” and “Azam Garami,” who were executed in Shiraz and Yasouj, respectively. Additionally, “Maysam Irandegani,” an 18-year-old young Baloch whose attributed crime occurred when he was 16 years old, was also executed; a matter that once again sparked criticism from human rights organizations regarding the execution of individuals who were children at the time of the alleged crime.
According to this report, only 8 of the total 67 executions, approximately 12 percent, were announced by official media or outlets affiliated with the judiciary. Additionally, at least 7 prisoners were executed without informing their families and without having final visits, and two sentences were carried out in secret executions; a matter that human rights activists consider as evidence of lack of transparency and a clear violation of prisoners’ rights.
Isfahan Province had the highest number with 10 executions among provinces across the country, followed by East Azerbaijan and Fars provinces, each with 8 executions. These sentences were carried out in total in prisons across 24 provinces of the country.
Human rights organizations warn that the Islamic Republic has increasingly used capital punishment in recent months to deal with political opponents. Human rights organizations had previously reported unprecedented increases in executions of political prisoners in 2026 and stated that the number of political executions in the first months of this year had shown significant growth compared to the same period of the previous year.
At the same time, international human rights organizations have called on the global community to place greater pressure on the Islamic Republic to stop the process of executing death sentences, particularly against political prisoners, protesters, and religious and ethnic minorities. According to these organizations, the use of capital punishment as a tool of suppression not only violates the right to life, but has imposed an atmosphere of fear and silence on Iranian society.
