More than 900 people were reportedly executed in Iran last year, including nearly 40 in a single week in December, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday.
Volker Turk said, “It is extremely disturbing that once again we are seeing a year-on-year increase in the number of people sentenced to death in Iran.” He said at least 901 people were reportedly sentenced to death in 2024.
“It is time for Iran to stop this growing trend of executions.”
Iran uses the death penalty for major crimes including murder, drug trafficking, rape and sexual assault. According to human rights groups including Amnesty International, the Islamic Republic executes more people per year than any other country except China, for which no reliable statistics are available.
Activists are worried about the increasing incidents of executions in Iran.
He accused authorities under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of using the death penalty as a tool to instill fear throughout society, especially in the wake of nationwide protests in 2022-2023.
The UN rights office said the majority of executions last year were for drug-related crimes, but added that “dissidents and those associated with the 2022 protests were also executed”.
“The number of women sentenced to death also increased.”
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), which closely monitors executions in Iran, said in a report on Monday that at least 31 women were executed in 2024.
Turk said, “We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances.”
“This is inconsistent with the fundamental right to life and increases the unacceptable risk of innocent people being executed,” he said.
“And, to be clear, it can never be construed to constitute conduct protected under international human rights law.”
The UN rights chief urged Iranian authorities to halt the use of the death penalty with the aim of halting all further executions and eventually ending it.
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