At Least 63 Executions in Fortnight; IHRNGO Calls for International Community Reaction

Executions resumed in April after the end of the parliamentary elections, Norouz (Iranian new year) and Ramadan (Muslim month) that typically bring execution numbers down which have drastically risen in the latest wave of executions.

According to data gathered by Iran Human Rights, at least 71 people were executed in 24 different Iranian prisons in April. 63 of those were executed in the last two weeks. At least 171 people have been executed in 2024.

Of the 71 executions in April, 44 people were for drug-related offences, 26 were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder and one for rape. Those executed include 16 Baluch, six Afghan nationals and three women.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020. 

On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”