A Norway-based human rights group has accused Iran of carrying out a “mass killing campaign” after confirming that the Islamic Republic has executed at least 1,000 people so far in 2025.
Iran Human Rights (IHR), which documents executions in the country daily, said on Tuesday that 64 people were put to death in the past week alone — averaging more than nine executions per day. With three months of the year still remaining, the figure has already surpassed the 975 executions recorded in 2024, making it the highest since the group began keeping records in 2008.
“In recent months, the Islamic Republic has begun a mass killing campaign in Iran’s prisons, the dimensions of which — in the absence of serious international reactions — are expanding every day,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam in a statement.
He warned that the executions amount to crimes against humanity and should be a top priority on the international agenda.
Activists argue that the clerical leadership, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has intensified its use of capital punishment to tighten control following the 2022–2023 nationwide protests and this year’s brief war with Israel.
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, where Western leaders are likely to focus on Tehran’s nuclear programme after the UN Security Council voted to reimpose sanctions. Rights advocates, however, insist that the global community must also address the execution surge.
“Any dialogue between countries committed to the foundations of human rights and the Islamic Republic that does not include the execution crisis in Iran is unacceptable,” Amiry-Moghaddam said.
IHR stressed that its figure represents “an absolute minimum” because of censorship and restrictions on reporting, suggesting the real tally could be much higher.
Executions in Iran are carried out exclusively by hanging, usually inside prisons, although occasional public hangings still occur. Amnesty International has consistently ranked Iran as the world’s second most prolific executioner after China, where precise numbers remain undisclosed.