Iran: 12 Executions on Eve of World Day Against the Death Penalty; 531 Executions in 2024

January - 10 October Executions at a Glance:

-       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 the recorded executions were for drug-related charges

-       218 executions were recorded for murder charges

-       20 people were sentenced to death for security-related charges of baghy, efsad-fil-arz and moharebeh

-       6 of those executed were accused of espionage for Israel

-       14 people were executed for rape charges

-       1 child offender was executed 

-       18 women were amongst those executed, two of whom were child brides

-       40 Afghan nationals were executed, a dramatic rise compared to previous years

-       3 people were hanged in public spaces

The Death Penalty Protects No One, Abolish it Now!

Observed every 10 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilises civil society, political leaders and public opinion to support the call for universal abolition of capital punishment. On 10 October 2024 and 2025, the World Day is dedicated to challenging the misconception that the death penalty can make people and communities safer. 

According to data collected by Iran Human Rights, at least 531 people have been executed in 2024. Amongst those executed are a child offender, 18 women and 40 Afghan nationals. In the shadow of the war, at least 50 people have  been executed in the last ten days. 

The charges leading to the 531 recorded executions were: 279 for drug-related offences, 218 for murder, 20 for security-related charges and 14 for rape.

Only 10% of the recorded executions were reported by official sources in Iran. The remaining 477 executions were verified through two independent sources by IHRNGO. 

On the eve of World Day Against the Death Penalty, at least 12 executions were recorded by Iran Human Rights. 11 of those were carried out in Ghezelhesar Prison and one Baluch man was executed in Zahedan Central Prison. Two Afghan nationals were amongst those executed and the charges leading to the 12 executions include murder, rape, drug-related and rape. 

Comparison with previous years

Executions recorded between 1 January-10 October 2024 are at a similar rate (0.5% reduction) to 2023 when 534 executions were recorded in the same period. 428 executions were recorded in the same period in 2022, 226 in 2021 and 209 in 2020.

Correlation between executions and political events

Execution numbers typically drop in the lead up to elections to encourage people to go to the polls. As the below chart demonstrates, despite both the parliamentary and presidential elections taking place in 2024, the total number of executions is currently similar to 2023 which was a non-election year. 

Drug-related Executions

At least 279 people have been executed so far in 2024, compared to 305 for the same period in 2023. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has maintained public silence about drug-related executions despite the now four year increase. In 2023, 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.

Murder Executions

At least 218 people were executed for murder charges. They were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind). This is an increase from the same period in 2023 when 180 murder executions were recorded. 

Two “Woman, Life, Freedom” protesters were amongst those executed. Mohammad Ghobadlu was executed in Ghezelhesar Prison on 23 January. Kurdish-Yarsan Reza Rasayi was secretly executed in Kermanshah Central Prison on 6 August.

Security-related Executions

At least 20 people have been executed for the security-related charges of baghy (armed rebellion), efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and moharebeh (enmity against god). Nine of the executions were for armed robbery offences, six were for espionage for Israel and five were for “supporting Salafi groups.” 

Ten of those executed for security-related charges were Kurdish. According to IHRNGO data, more than half of the security-related executions for political and religious beliefs were Kurdish in the past 15 years. 

Child Offender Executions

Iran Human Rights has been able to verify the execution of one child offender in 2024. Mehdi Jahanpour was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for a murder he was alleged to have committed when he was 16 years old. He was hanged on 16 September in Shiraz Central Prison.

Women Executions

At least 18 women were executed between 1 January-9 October 2024. Of those, 10 were on death row for drug-related offences and 8 were sentenced to qisas for murder. Two of the women were Baluch minorities. 

Another two of the executed women were child brides. Marjan Hajizadeh was executed for drug-related charges and Akhtar Ghorbanlu was hanged for the murder of her husband.

In 2002, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty declared 10 October as the World Day Against the Death Penalty with the goal of abolishing the inhuman and irreversible punishment, and is considered a turning point in the fight against the death penalty. The World Coalition consists of 186 members from five continents, of which 26 organisations including Iran Human Rights are members of its Steering Committee. The Committee is responsible for making necessary decisions to implement the Coalition’s strategy. It should be noted that more than two thirds of countries are abolitionist in law or practice.