Endless executions in Iran set new death records

The dramatic and endless increase in executions in Iran has broken the death record.

The UN Human Rights Office released a report on Friday, August 29, that once again reveals the horrific dimensions of the Islamic Republic’s policies towards the death penalty. According to the report, 841 people in Iran lost their lives as a result of the execution in the first eight months of this year alone, a figure that the UN said represented a “significant increase” compared to last year.

In July alone, 100 people were executed, more than double the number of executions in the same period in 2024. This rapid pace of executions not only demonstrates the Islamic Republic's disregard for international calls to end the death penalty, but also indicates that executions have become a political tool for repression.

Among those executed are groups that have faced years of structural discrimination, including women, Afghan refugees, and ethnic minorities such as Baloch, Kurds, Arabs, and especially religious minorities. This focus on vulnerable groups demonstrates that the government is exploiting the inequalities and social isolation of these groups to advance its policies of intimidation.

"The high number of executions demonstrates a systematic pattern of using the death penalty as a tool to instill fear and suppress any dissent," said Ravina Shamdasani, senior spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, at a conference in Geneva.

He also added that the office had witnessed “disproportionate targeting of ethnic minorities and immigrants on death row,” noting that Iran had repeatedly ignored repeated calls to join the global movement to abolish the death penalty.

The UN report also highlights that eleven other individuals face imminent execution; six on vague charges of "moharebeh" and five others for their connection to the nationwide "Women, Life, Freedom" protests in 1401. This clearly shows that the death penalty in Iran is not just a criminal punishment, but also a tool for political revenge against protesters.

Despite the constant publication of such reports, the international response has remained largely one of concern. There have been no targeted sanctions against judicial and security officials, nor effective political pressure to force Tehran to change course. This silence and inaction, observers say, has sent the Iranian government the message that it can continue to carry out death sentences without cost.

The increasing number of executions and targeted victim selection are more indicative of a government policy of survival through intimidation than of justice. The main question remains: How long will the international community witness the Islamic Republic’s record-breaking killings without taking serious action to stop this cycle of violence?