Iran Executes Record 975 People in 2024

Human rights groups reported that Iran executed at least 975 people in 2024, marking a significant increase in capital punishment and the highest annual total since records began in 2008. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and French group Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) described this rise as a 'horrifying escalation' and accused the Iranian government of using executions as a tool for political oppression to maintain control amid ongoing protests. The report indicated an average of five executions per day in the last three months of the year, coinciding with heightened tensions with Israel. This figure represents a 17% increase from the 834 executions recorded in 2023, with 31 women among those executed, the highest number in 17 years. The groups assert that the Iranian regime employs the death penalty to instill fear and suppress dissent, particularly following the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody in 2022. Human rights advocates continue to criticize Iran for being one of the world's leading executioners, second only to China.