New Amnesty International report says Iran carried out at least 2,159 executions in 2025, the highest figure recorded in more than four decades
A new report by Amnesty International has revealed that the Iranian regime was responsible for the overwhelming majority of recorded executions worldwide in 2025, carrying out at least 2,159 executions during the year. According to the organization, this marks the highest execution figure documented in Iran in more than four decades and represents more than double the number recorded in 2024.
The report, titled Death Sentences and Executions 2025, states that a total of at least 2,707 executions were carried out globally across 17 countries in 2025, the highest number documented by Amnesty International since 1981. Iran alone accounted for the vast majority of these executions.
Amnesty International described the Iranian regime authorities as “the main drivers behind the spike” in global executions. The organization warned that the regime has increasingly used the death penalty as a mechanism of political repression, intimidation, and social control.
Executions Used as a Tool of Political Suppression
According to the report, the dramatic increase in executions in Iran coincided with intensified political and security crackdowns following widespread anti-government protests and escalating regional tensions. Amnesty International said the Iranian regime authorities have increasingly relied on executions to silence dissent and consolidate power through fear.
The report states that governments restricting civic space and suppressing opposition voices are turning more aggressively toward capital punishment to maintain control. Amnesty International emphasized that this pattern has become particularly severe in Iran, where many executions reportedly take place in opaque judicial processes lacking basic fair trial standards.
Agnès Callamard condemned the use of executions by authoritarian governments, stating that a “shameless minority” of states are weaponizing the death penalty to instill fear, crush dissent, and demonstrate the power of state institutions over vulnerable communities.
Nearly Half of Iran’s Executions Linked to Drug Charges
The report also highlighted the regime’s extensive use of executions for drug-related offenses. Amnesty International documented at least 998 executions in Iran tied to narcotics charges in 2025, representing a significant portion of all known drug-related executions worldwide.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the Iranian regime for using vague security charges, coerced confessions, and deeply flawed judicial procedures in cases involving political prisoners, protesters, and marginalized defendants. Activists warn that the real number of executions may be even higher due to the regime’s restrictions on transparency and independent monitoring.
Human Rights Concerns Intensify
In recent months, multiple human rights organizations have raised alarm over the escalating use of executions in Iran. Reports indicate that political prisoners, detained protesters, and individuals accused in security-related cases have increasingly faced death sentences amid a worsening climate of repression.
Amnesty International concluded its report by calling on the international community to increase pressure on the Iranian regime and prevent the continued use of the death penalty as an instrument of political terror.
The organization also warned that the actual scale of executions in Iran may exceed the published figures because of limited access to official information and the secrecy surrounding many death penalty cases.
