Hussain Hazbavi 
The Iranian regime has intensified its use of the death penalty as a tool of repression, executing at least 730 people in the first seven months of 2025 including 102 in July alone according to the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights.
This staggering figure was released shortly after the UN Human Rights Office confirmed that at least 612 executions took place in the first half of the year more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2024.
The UN reports that over 40% of these executions were for drug-related offenses, while many others were carried out under vague and politically charged accusations such as “enmity against God” and “corruption on Earth.” These labels are routinely used by the Iranian regime to criminalize dissent, silence opposition, and instill fear among oppressed peoples, particularly among ethnic minorities like the Ahwazis, Kurds, and Baloch.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a strong statement on Monday, calling for an immediate halt to executions in Iran. “Reports that there have been several hundred executions in Iran so far this year underscore how deeply disturbing the situation has become and the urgent need for an immediate moratorium in the country on the use of the death penalty,” he said.
This alarming spike in executions follows a new wave of internal repression unleashed by the regime after the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. As global attention shifted elsewhere, Tehran has escalated its crackdown on political prisoners, human rights activists, and marginalized communities using the gallows as a means of control and collective punishment.
