At least 1,438 executions recorded since August 2024—marking the highest rate in three decades
July 21, 2025 – In a grim escalation of the Iranian regime’s use of capital punishment, at least 25 individuals were executed across the country between July 8 and July 20, according to human rights sources. The latest executions occurred on Sunday, July 20, when three Baluch prisoners were hanged in Zahedan Prison: Dariush Shahbakhsh (24), Abdoljilil Darkzehi (35), and Ne’matollah Shahnawazi.
This wave of state-sanctioned killings is part of an ongoing surge that has intensified under the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian. The executions span a broad geographic range, reflecting what observers describe as a systemic policy of repression.
July 19: Six Executions in a Single Day
On Saturday, July 19, six more prisoners were executed in various prisons across Iran:
- Mohammad Ahmadkhani and Parviz Sarlak in Aligudarz
- Mohammad and Alireza Eshterak, along with an unidentified prisoner, in Gorgan
- Davoud Amani in Zanjan
July 16: Coordinated Killings Across Three Provinces
Another six prisoners were executed on Wednesday, July 16:
- In Lakan Prison, Rasht: Peyman Afshar (43), Hadi Garrousi (28), and Mehdi Babaei (31)
- In Choobindar Prison, Qazvin: Mowlan Abdolazizkhani (31) and Vahhab Heydari (29)
- In Karaj Central Prison: Abbas Zare’
Additional Executions Across the Country
- July 14: Mohammad-Javad Kazemi in Arak, Kianoush Khosravi Siah-Bidi in Kermanshah, and Ghasem Azizi in Birjand
- July 13: Five men executed—Alimirza Bahrami (32), Jalal Nazarbeigi (33), and Hamid Yavari in Hamedan; Sagvand Mosayyeb in Khorramabad; and Abbasali Jahangardi in Sari
- July 9: Morad-Hassan Mansouri in Malayer
- July 8: Yousef Parsa and an unidentified prisoner in Qazvin
A Brutal Milestone Under Pezeshkian’s Tenure
Since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office in August 2024, Iran has carried out at least 1,438 executions, the highest recorded number in over thirty years. The ongoing surge has drawn widespread condemnation from international human rights organizations, who warn that the regime is relying on executions as a tool of fear and control amid growing internal instability.
Even during the sacred month of Muharram—traditionally a period of mourning and restraint—the Iranian authorities have continued unabated with mass executions. Analysts suggest that this signals the regime’s growing desperation in the face of mounting domestic dissent and international isolation.
Execution as State Policy
The execution apparatus has long been a cornerstone of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s grip on power. But its current scale underlines the regime’s increasing reliance on lethal repression to silence opposition and intimidate the public. As Iran’s economic and political crises deepen, so too does its recourse to the gallows.
This alarming trend suggests a regime no longer seeking legitimacy, but survival through sheer coercion.
