Statistical Report on Violations of the Right to Life in Iran – May 2025
6-June-2025
Category: executions
5 June 2025
News Category: Executions
Breathing in Confinement — Thursday, 5 June 2025:
The Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran has published its statistical report on executions for May 2025, based on verified and credible data. According to this report, at least 175 prisoners were hanged across prisons in Iran during this month. This figure reflects a new wave of organised killings through capital punishment, which has intensified in the current year. Amid escalating internal crises and the regime’s structural incapacity to address them, the instrumental use of the death penalty has once again surged — clearly indicating the political nature of executions in Iran.
Since the start of 2025, at least 577 prisoners have been executed in various cities across the country.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Systematic Violation of International Standards on the Use of the Death Penalty
While a large part of the global community is moving toward limiting and abolishing capital punishment, the Islamic Republic of Iran remains the second-highest executing country in the world and systematically disregards fundamental human rights principles.
Despite being a signatory to several major international human rights treaties, Iran has shown no genuine commitment to upholding its obligations and repeatedly violates the following conventions:
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
Emphasises the right to life, prohibition of torture, and guarantees of fair trial — all routinely breached in Iran.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC):
Explicitly bans the execution of individuals under the age of 18 — a provision Iran frequently ignores.
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW):
Although Iran is not a signatory to this convention, its laws and practices regarding executed women exacerbate structural discrimination and violence against women.
- UN Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty:
These safeguards restrict capital punishment to “the most serious crimes” and require a fully fair and flawless trial — conditions rarely met in Iran.
What follows is a detailed analysis of these executions, compared to previous months and the same period last year — broken down by city, gender, charge, ethnicity, and nationality.
- Overview of Executions
Total Executions:
- April 2025: 133 executions
- May 2025: 175 executions
- Increase: 42 cases (32% rise)
According to the Statistics Centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, the 175 executions carried out in May mark a 32% increase compared to April. Compared with the same period last year, this figure reflects an 80% rise, which is not only rare but also unprecedented over the past two decades — painting a daunting picture of the deterioration in the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In May, an average of more than five prisoners were executed each day — nearly one person every four hours. This surge coincides with growing public discontent over socio-economic crises, including frequent power outages, water shortages, rampant inflation, and unaffordable living costs. Against this backdrop, the regime appears to be resorting to executions with higher intensity, seemingly in fear of social unrest.
On Wednesday, 22 May alone, at least 22 prisoners were executed across various prisons — an unprecedented and shocking figure that highlights the regime’s deliberate and brutal strategy of using the death penalty to instil fear and maintain control over society.
This trend is a serious warning to the international community and human rights organisations to respond urgently and effectively to the renewed wave of executions and widespread repression in Iran.
The chart below illustrates the steep rise in executions over the past five months:
According to the above chart, a sharply increasing trend in executions across Iran is evident. In March, the number of executions dropped slightly, likely due to the Nowruz holidays and the month of Ramadan. However, in April, this decrease was fully offset as the Islamic Republic authorities resumed executions at an accelerating pace.
This upward trajectory, taking place in the heavy silence of the international community, has severely tarnished the face of human rights and human dignity. The silence in response to the Islamic Republic’s systematic crimes—particularly regarding executions—must be broken. The international community must demand an end to the judiciary immunity enjoyed by Iranian officials and must put mechanisms in place to hold them accountable for grave human rights violations, especially those committed by the judiciary.
The only effective response to this mounting wave of executions is strong international pressure for their immediate halt and for initiating a process of justice and accountability.
Analysis by Charge Type
As in previous months, those executed in May faced charges such as drug-related offences, murder (qisas), political and security-related charges, espionage, moharebeh (e.g. armed robbery), and rape.
The pie chart below shows the proportion of executions by charge category:
As shown in the above chart, 79 prisoners were executed for drug-related offences and 84 for murder (qisas) in May.
Executions for drug-related offences remain one of the Islamic Republic’s hidden and silent atrocities, continuing for years under the radar of the international community. Most of those sentenced to death in such cases are small-scale users or street-level dealers—individuals pushed into this path by poverty, marginalisation, and lack of access to social and treatment services.
In contrast, large-scale trafficking networks—often managed or protected by powerful institutions such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and security agencies—continue operating freely, with no prosecutions. To date, no high-ranking official, affiliate, or accomplice from these networks has been arrested or tried.
Numerous reports and eyewitness accounts highlight that arrests, interrogations, and trials of these prisoners often take place without access to legal representation, in violation of fair trial standards, and in many cases involve torture and forced confessions—culminating in execution verdicts.
The bar chart below presents an overview of execution trends during the first five months of 2025:
Geographical Spread of Executions
The 175 executions recorded in May, took place across 44 cities. The highest number of executions occurred in the two prisons of Karaj, with Ghezel Hesar Prison reporting the most.
The bar chart below illustrates the geographical distribution of these executions by prison:
Analysis Based on the Characteristics of the Executed Individuals
Ethnicity
In May, at least 29 Baluchi prisoners were executed—about 17% of all those executed—despite the fact that Baluchis make up only around 3% of Iran’s population. This stark disparity between the Baluchi community’s share of the population and their proportion of executions reflects structural discrimination and the targeted suppression of this ethnic minority, which has long faced poverty, deprivation, and unjust judicial treatment.
Execution of Foreign Nationals
According to verified reports, Iranian authorities executed at least six Afghan nationals in May 2025, accounting for approximately 3% of all executions during the month. These executions violate international legal standards—including Articles 14 and 15 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other conventions related to migrant rights—which oblige states to guarantee foreign nationals the right to a fair trial, consular notification, and effective legal defence. However, reports indicate that these individuals were denied fair trial standards, access to legal counsel, and communication with their diplomatic representatives. Such practices not only breach Iran’s international obligations, but also constitute blatant violations of human dignity and the fundamental rights of foreign prisoners.
Gender and Age
Women
According to data collected by the Prisoners’ Rights League of Iran, the execution of women in May rose by 40% compared to previous months. Verified reports received by the League confirm that at least 8 women were executed in various prisons across Iran during this month—making up a substantial proportion of the total 21 women executed so far this year.
Most of these women were charged with murder and sentenced to death without adequate access to legal defence or fair trial rights. Case reviews and witness testimonies reveal extensive violations of due process throughout their prosecutions.
Names of some women executed in May 2025 include:
- Saghar (surname unknown) – Karaj Prison
- Mahtab Amiri – Adelabad Prison, Shiraz
- 3 unidentified women – Birjand Prison
- Hafizeh Balouchzehi – Greater Tehran Prison
- Setareh Taherloo – Damghan Prison
- Mahboubeh Khosronejad – Gorgan Prison
Many of these women were disowned by their families and lacked access to independent legal representation or social support, leaving them defenceless in a deeply flawed judicial process.
Juvenile Offenders
Despite its obligations under international treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to execute individuals who were under 18 at the time of the alleged offence. According to records from the Prisoners’ Rights League of Iran, at least three juvenile offenders were executed in Iranian prisons in May.
Documented Cases:
- Hadi Rostami – Executed at the age of 18
This juvenile was arrested at the age of 16 and charged with murder under torture and pressure during interrogation. It is reported that the killing occurred in self-defence against sexual assault. Nevertheless, immediately after turning 18, his execution was carried out. This act not only violates international human rights standards but also indicates a deliberate strategy to circumvent international law. - Behnam Bargpush – Executed at Yasuj Prison
At the time of the alleged offence, this child was only 13 years old. He was accused of murder and, after several years in prison, was executed at the age of 19, despite the fact that the crime occurred while he was underage. His execution is a clear violation of the principles of a fair trial. - Mohammadreza Sabzi – Executed at Bojnourd Prison
There is limited information available about his case. However, reports indicate that he was also under 18 at the time of the alleged offence and was ultimately executed.
Government Concealment🏛️
The chart below shows the proportion of officially reported executions versus concealed executions:
In May 2025, according to verified reports, received by the statistical centre of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran at least 175 executions were carried out in various prisons across the country. However, only 10 of these executions were reported by the state media. This significant discrepancy between actual and publicly announced figures reflects a systematic state policy of concealing execution statistics.
While the Islamic Republic increasingly relies on the death penalty as a tool to instil fear and suppress widespread dissent, secret executions also demonstrates heightened concern over international backlash, leading judicial authorities to withhold public details — particularly in cases involving drug-related charges.
In May 2025, the Islamic Republic of Iran executed at least one prisoner every four hours. This alarming statistic reveals that the death penalty is being used more than ever as a tool of repression and intimidation, serving to uphold the structure of power in Iran.
A significant portion of those executed in May were prisoners convicted of drug-related offences. Yet, according to the reports and strong evidence, main drug trafficking networks in Iran are linked to security agencies and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and they play a role in the organised transport and distribution of narcotics with full immunity from prosecution. Meanwhile, the executed individuals were often from marginalised sectors of society, driven by poverty, unemployment, and economic desperation to engage in low-level drug transport.
This grim reality reflects systemic injustice, class-based discrimination, and the instrumentalisation of criminal justice by the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The regime’s silence and secrecy not only serve as evidence of repression, but also reveal the deep concern within the political and judicial establishment about international pressure.
In such a context, the responsibility of the international community becomes even more critical. The United Nations, the European Union, western governments, human rights organisations, and international judicial bodies must break their silence. They are obligated to use all available diplomatic, legal, and economic tools to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt this cycle of executions and injustice.
Every day that passes without firm and coordinated international action places dozens of lives at risk and plunges thousands of families into fear and insecurity. The global response to this human catastrophe must go beyond expressions of concern—it must lead to legal accountability, targeted sanctions, and international prosecution of those responsible for the executions.