CSDHI – October 10 marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty. In preparation for this day, the Islamic Republic hanged 12 people the day before. At least 531 people, including a juvenile offender and 18 women, have been executed in 2024.
Iran Human Rights once again calls on the international community not to remain silent in the face of daily executions in the shadow of war and to do everything in its power to stop the increase in executions in Iran.
IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Under the threat of war with Israel, and taking advantage of the neglect of the media and the international community, the Islamic Republic began a wave of mass executions. scale in Iranian prisons, targeting the most vulnerable individuals in society who have been sentenced to death by unjust courts. The aim of these executions is to instill fear in society and ensure the survival of the regime. Today, we and the Iranian people need more than ever the solidarity and support of the global movement against the death penalty and the international community. The international community, particularly governments committed to human rights that maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, must not remain silent in the face of an execution every five hours in Iran.”
From January to October 10, 2024: A look at the executions
– At least 531 people were executed
– Only 54 (10%) of the executions were reported by official sources.
– 477 executions were verified by two independent sources by IHRNGO.
– 279 (52.5%) of recorded executions were for drug-related reasons.
– 218 executions were recorded for murder charges
– 20 people were sentenced to death for security-related charges (baghy, efsad-fil-arz and moharebeh).
– 6 of those executed were accused of spying for Israel
– 14 people were executed on rape charges
– 1 child offender was executed
– 18 women were executed, two of whom were child brides.
– 40 Afghan nationals were executed, which represents a considerable increase compared to previous years.
– 3 people were hanged in public places.
The death penalty doesn’t protect anyone, let’s abolish it now!
Celebrated every October 10, World Day Against the Death Penalty unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society, political leaders and public opinion to support the call for the universal abolition of capital punishment. On October 10, 2024 and 2025, World Day is dedicated to combating the misconception that the death penalty can make people and communities safer.
According to data collected by Iran Human Rights, at least 531 people were executed in 2024. Among those executed were a child offender, 18 women and 40 Afghan nationals. In the shadow of war, at least 50 people have been executed over the past ten days.
The charges leading to the 531 executions recorded were as follows: 279 for drug offences, 218 for murder, 20 for security offenses and 14 for rape.
Only 10% of recorded executions were reported by official sources in Iran. The remaining 477 executions were verified by two independent sources by IHRNGO.
On the eve of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, at least 12 executions were recorded by Iran Human Rights. 11 of them took place in Ghezelhesar prison and a Baloch man was executed in Zahedan central prison. Two Afghan nationals were among those executed. The charges leading to these 12 executions are murder, rape, drugs and rape.
Comparison with previous years
Executions recorded between January 1 and October 10, 2024 are at a similar rate (0.5% reduction) to that of 2023, when 534 executions were recorded during the same period. 428 executions were recorded during the same period in 2022, 226 in 2021 and 209 in 2020.
Correlation between executions and political events
Drug-related executions
At least 279 people have been executed so far in 2024, compared to 305 for the same period in 2023. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has remained silent on drug-related executions despite the increase observed over the past four years. In 2023, at least 471 people were executed on drug-related charges, an increase of 84% from 2022 (256) and approximately 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020.
Executions for murder
At least 218 people were executed for murder. They were sentenced to qisas (punishment in kind). This is an increase from the same period in 2023, when 180 executions for murder were recorded.
Two demonstrators from the “Woman, Life, Liberty” movement were among those executed. Mohammad Ghobadlu was executed in Ghezelhesar prison on January 23. Kurd Yarsan Reza Rasayi was secretly executed in Kermanshah Central Prison on August 6.
Security-related executions
At least 20 people were executed for security reasons: baghy (armed rebellion), efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and moharebeh (hostility towards God). Nine of the executions were for armed robbery, six for espionage for Israel and five for “support for Salafist groups”.
Ten of those executed for security reasons were Kurds. According to IHRNGO data, more than half of security-related executions for political and religious reasons were Kurdish over the past 15 years.
Executions of child offenders
Iran Human Rights was able to verify the execution of a child offender in 2024. Mehdi Jahanpour was sentenced to qisas (punishment in kind) for a murder he allegedly committed at the age of 16. He was hanged on September 16 in Shiraz central prison.
Executions of women
At least 18 women were executed between January 1 and October 9, 2024. Ten of them were sentenced to death for drug offenses and eight had been sentenced to qisas for murder. Two of these women belonged to the Baloch minority.
Two other women executed were newlyweds. Marjan Hajizadeh was executed for drug offenses and Akhtar Ghorbanlu was hanged for the murder of her husband.
In 2002, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty declared October 10 the World Day Against the Death Penalty with the aim of abolishing this inhumane and irreversible punishment, which is considered a turning point in the fight against the death penalty. . The Global Coalition has 186 members from five continents, of which 26 organizations, including Iran Human Rights, are members of its steering committee. This committee is responsible for making the decisions necessary to implement the coalition’s strategy. It should be noted that more than two-thirds of countries are abolitionist in law or practice.
Source: YOU
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