Iran Marks World Day Against the Death Penalty with 15 Executions: at Least 1,105 Executions in 2025
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 10, 2025: In anticipation of World Day Against the Death Penalty (10 October), the Islamic Republic executed at least 15 people on Wednesday. Iran’s authorities have also broken the country’s three-decade record by carrying out at least 1,105 executions in 2025.
This figure is more than double the number of executions in the same period last year when 531 executions were recorded, which was a horrific figure in itself. Breaking the three-decade record of executions in Iran indicates a crisis that is not limited to Iran alone and should also raise serious concerns for the international community.
Iran Human Rights once again calls on the awakened consciences and the international community to support the Iranian people’s movement to abolish the death penalty which is epitomised by the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” abolitionist movement in 52 prisons in Iran.
IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam stated: “On World Day Against the Death Penalty, Iran is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its modern history. Daily executions continue as a means to instill fear in society. Yet the Iranian abolitionist movement stands at the forefront of this struggle. We call on all human rights organisations and the global abolitionist community to show solidarity with the Iranian people and activists today, support the ‘No Death Penalty Tuesdays’ movement, and stand with us in building an Iran free of the death penalty.”
January-10 October Executions at a Glance:
- At least 1,105 people executed
- Only 82 of the recorded executions (7%) were announced by official sources
- The remaining 1,022 executions (93%) were verified by IHRNGO through two independent sources. Given IHRNGO’s strict verification standards, the actual number is believed to be significantly higher
- 544 (49%) people were on death row for drug-related offences
- 485 (43%) people were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder
- 49 people were executed on the security-related charges of moharebeh (enmity against god), efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and baghy (armed rebellion). Eleven of these were accused of “spying for Israel”
- 27 people were executed for rape charges
- At least 30 women were executed, 8 for drug-related offences and 22 for murder
- 122 Baluch, 67 Kurdish, and 20 Ahvazi Arab minorities were amongst those executed
- 60 Afghan nationals were executed
- 7 people were publicly hanged
Comparison with Previous Years
Executions recorded between 1 January-10 October 2025 represent a 108% increase compared to the same period in 2024 when IHRNGO recorded 531 executions in Iran. It recorded 534 executions during the same period in 2023, 428 in 2022 and 226 in 2021.
Executions for Drug-Related Offences
At least 544 people have been executed for drug-related charges since the beginning of 2025, compared to 279 during the same period in 2024. Despite the reversal in practice of the 2017 Amendment of the Anti-Narcotics Law since 2021, and the dramatic increase in executions for drug offenses, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has continued its cooperation with the Islamic Republic..
The Death Penalty Protects No One, Abolish it Now!
Observed every 10 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilises civil society, political leaders and public opinion to support the call for universal abolition of capital punishment. On 10 October 2024 and 2025, the World Day is dedicated to challenging the misconception that the death penalty can make people and communities safer.
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