Human Rights Violations in Iran – Statistical Report (20 May – 20 June 2025): At Least 139 Prisoners Executed

28 June 2025
Categories: Freedom of Expression – Protests – Executions – Arrests – Prisoners – Amputation

Breathing in Confinement – Following escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Israeli government, Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on Friday, 13 June, resulting in the deaths of a significant number of Iranian regime-affiliated forces, as well as widespread civilian casualties, including women and children.

Amid these developments, the intensification of direct military conflict between Iran and Israel has not only caused massive infrastructural damage and loss of life but also led to catastrophic impacts on civil rights and liberties within Iran. The absence of an official declaration of war, lack of safe public shelters, failure to provide clear public information about the attacks, and the refusal to use air raid sirens to warn civilians are all flagrant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

Moreover, the government’s failure to educate the public or issue instructions on emergency behaviour — such as seeking shelter, evacuation, or how to respond during air raids — reflects a deliberate disregard for its humanitarian and legal responsibilities, placing ordinary people at heightened risk and highlighting the state’s direct accountability for the consequences.

Taking advantage of the wartime climate, the Islamic Republic has escalated systematic repression, including:

• Blocking social media platforms
• Severe internet restrictions
• Mass arrests of activists and social media users
• Further limitations imposed on political prisoners

Reports also point to a rise in secret executions, arbitrary arrests under vague charges such as “espionage” or “disturbing public opinion,” and widespread violations of basic human rights.

These actions have sparked serious concern over the intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression and civil liberties in Iran. The Prisoners’ Rights League of Iran calls on the international community and human rights bodies to take urgent and effective action to protect civilians, confront the wave of repression, and prevent the escalation of executions.

 

Comprehensive Analysis of Executions in Iran

📊 Overall Execution Statistics:

• April 2025: 86 executions
• May 2025: 168 executions
• June 2025: 139 executions

According to the Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least 139 prisoners were executed in various prisons across the country in June 2025. Despite the country plunging into a deep crisis during mid-June due to bombings, missiles, and war, the Iranian authorities persisted in executions by hanging.

Within the 12 days of armed conflict, six prisoners accused of espionage were executed without due process or the right to retrial. Executions for charges related to murder and drug offences also continued without interruption.

The below graph illustrates the trend of executions over the past three months, highlighting a dramatic increase from April to May.

 

⚖️ Breakdown Executions by Charges

 

Of 139 executions in the past months:

• Only 16 were officially announced by state media.
• The remaining 123 were documented through human rights sources and independent activists.

 

 

Among those executed were:

• 4 women
• 1 juvenile offender

Notably, Abbas Korkor, a well-known detainee from the 2022 nationwide protests, was executed in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz. Authorities refused to hand over his body to his family.

Another prisoner, Sajjad Piri, was publicly executed in Khorramabad.

 

In comparison:

• In June 2024, only 13 executions were documented.
• The 139 executions in June 2025 represent an increase of more than 969% — nearly tenfold.

The chart below shows a comparison of the number of executions by charge in June versus the previous two months.

 

 

👤 Analysis by Demographics:

Women & Children

• April: 5 women executed
• May: 7 women executed
• June: 4 women executed

According to the Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least 4 women were executed in June across various prisons. These cases represent a significant portion of the 16 women executed over the past three months.

Most of these women were convicted of intentional murder, denied access to legal counsel, and lacked the right to a proper defence. The review of case files and witness testimonies reveals widespread violations of fair trial standards.

One particularly harrowing case publicised by the League involved Masoumeh Karbakhsh, a 39-year-old mother of two children (ages 7 and 14), from the village of Taghiabad, Ravar, Kerman province. She was arrested four years ago on drug-related charges and sentenced to death.

On 31 December 2024, while being transferred for execution, she suffered a leg fracture under unclear circumstances, leading to a temporary suspension of the sentence. However, her execution was ultimately carried out on 1 June 2025.

Disturbingly, during the execution, the rope snapped on the first attempt, and she was hanged again until death.

 

Juvenile Offenders

Despite the Islamic Republic’s commitments to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights treaties, executions of individuals for crimes committed under the age of 18 continue in Iran.

According to the Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, at least six juvenile offenders were executed in Iranian prisons during April, May, and June 2025:

• April: 2 juvenile offenders executed
• May: 3 juvenile offenders executed
• June: 1 juvenile offender executed

Documented Case:

1. Amir Hossein Mohammadi — executed in Ghezel Hesar Prison at the age of 22.
   Amir Hossein, son of Farzin, was convicted of murder, which occurred during an act of self-defence against an attacker armed with a machete who tried to rob him. He was 17 years old at the time of arrest, classifying him as a juvenile offender. He was imprisoned for 5 years and executed at the age of 22.

 

Political Prisoners Executed

April 2025:

• Malek Ali Fadaei Nasab
• Farhad Shakeri
• Abdolhakim Azim Gorgij
• Abdolrahman Gorgij
• Taj Mohammad Khormaly
• Ali Dehani

May 2025:

• Hamid Hosseinnejad Heydaranlou (secretly executed in Urmia Prison)
• Rostam Zein al-Dini (Hajigol), Zahedan Prison

June 2025:

• Mojahid Korkor (Abbas Korkori) – a detainee from the 2022 uprising

 

Government Secrecy

The chart below illustrates the percentages of publicly announced executions versus secret executions.

In June 2025, amid heightened regional tensions and military conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel, Iran resorted to the death penalty more aggressively than ever. A sharp rise in executions, especially in espionage-related cases, was accompanied by parliamentary motions calling for the urgent implementation of death sentences and direct orders from the Attorney General to accelerate executions. These actions have sparked widespread domestic and international alarm over the severe and systemic violations of human rights.

The Iranian regime appears to be using the war-time atmosphere as an opportunity to expand repression, spread fear, and eliminate political opponents. In addition to mass arrests and escalated security pressures, reports have surfaced of extrajudicial executions — reminiscent of the 1988 mass executions of political prisoners following the Iran-Iraq war. In that period, thousands of inmates serving prison sentences were executed by the decree of Ayatollah Khomeini.

The repetition of such patterns today indicates a structural abuse of military crises to intensify internal suppression and reinforce a climate of fear and control.

 

Systematic Violations of International Execution Standards

While most of the global community is moving toward the restriction or abolition of the death penalty, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold the second-highest execution rate in the world, routinely ignoring fundamental human rights norms.

 

Clear Violations of International Conventions by Iran

Despite being a signatory to several major international human rights treaties, Iran shows no real commitment to its obligations and repeatedly violates the provisions of these conventions.

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Emphasises the right to life, prohibition of torture, and guarantees fair trial rights.
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): Explicitly bans the execution of individuals for crimes committed under the age of 18.
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Iran is not a member, but its laws and practices regarding executed women reflect structural discrimination and violence.
• UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty: This limits capital punishment to only the most serious crimes and requires full due process — principles that are rarely respected in Iran.

 

Death Sentences Issued and Confirmed in June

At least five people were sentenced to death in June, and the death sentences of three others were confirmed by the Supreme Court. These include:

• Two political prisoners: Mohammad Darvish Narouei and Yasin Kabdani, both detained during the 2022 protests in Zahedan
• Four individuals charged with murder: one woman convicted in Alborz Criminal Court and three whose sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court
• Two individuals charged with espionage and collaborating with foreign states

In total, by June 2025, at least 221 individuals were either sentenced to death or had their death sentences confirmed — 45 of them were political prisoners.

Two executions were carried out in public during this period.

 

Flogging Sentences

Two people were sentenced to a total of 173 lashes in the past month:

• Issa R., 74 lashes for theft
• Arian, 99 lashes for extramarital relations

Flogging is considered a form of torture and a violation of human dignity under international law. Yet Iranian courts continue to issue and implement such sentences.

 

Arrests

In June, at least 675 citizens were arrested for political or security-related reasons. Those detained included:

• Former political prisoners
• Labour activists
• Truck drivers
• Sunni clerics
• Social media users
• Critics of the Iran–Israel conflict
• Retirees and ethnic and religious minority activists

 

Examples of Arrests

 

Incidents in Prisons

• Payam Sattari, 34, committed suicide in Boukan Prison after being subjected to sexual assault
• Saman Mirdoraghi, 29, died under torture in a police detention centre in Andimeshk
• Reza Maleki, 37, died in Ghezel Hesar Prison due to lack of medical care

Following an Israeli airstrike on a military workshop near Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah, an explosion triggered a riot within the prison, reportedly resulting in the deaths of around 10 inmates.

 

Amputations

According to the head of the Isfahan judiciary, the amputation of hands of two prisoners convicted of theft was carried out. This punishment is a clear instance of torture and a violation of international covenants. While corrupt officials remain immune, the poor are disproportionately targeted.

 

Prison Sentences and Fines

In June, 30 political and ideological cases resulted in:

• 233 years, 4 months, and 14 days of prison sentences
• 2.13 billion tomans in fines

Six people were detained to serve their sentences. These included labour activists, lawyers, journalists, artists, Christian converts, Sunni clerics, and Bahaʼis.

 

Workplace Accidents

• 20 workers died
• 53 workers were injured in workplace incidents

Official statistics show over 2,000 workers die annually due to lack of safety regulations. The real numbers are likely much higher.

 

Violence Against Women

In June:

• 11 women were murdered
• One woman and her young daughter were kept in a birdcage for six years and repeatedly raped

 

Documented Cases

• Elahe Hosseinnejad, murdered by a paramilitary Snapp driver
• Hanieh Behboodi, arm-wrestling champion, murdered by her husband
• Nine other cases were reported in cities including Kelardasht, Rasht, and Pakdasht

 

Nationwide Protests

More than 590 protest events were recorded across the country in June.

 

Notable Protests

• “Tuesdays Against Executions” Political prisoners went on hunger strike in 47 prisons, while families gathered outside Evin Prison
• Nationwide truck driver strikes in over 152 cities
• Demonstrations by retired workers from the Social Security, Steel, and Telecommunications sectors, protesting poverty, inflation, discrimination, and corruption
• Oil and gas industry workers protested exploitative contractors and poor living conditions
• Protests by defrauded depositors and vehicle buyers