Hussain Hazbavi 
Iran carried out at least 1,922 executions in 2025, more than double the number recorded the previous year and the highest figure documented in over a decade, according to a new annual report by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The report, covering the period from January 1 to December 20, said executions increased by 106% compared with 2024, highlighting a sharp escalation in the use of the death penalty by Iran’s judiciary.
HRANA said at least 10 executions were carried out publicly, while the overwhelming majority took place in secrecy. According to the findings, around 95% of executions were not officially announced by Iranian authorities or state-affiliated media, reflecting what the group described as a systematic lack of transparency.
In addition to those executed, at least 168 people were newly sentenced to death during 2025, and Iran’s Supreme Court upheld death sentences in at least 56 cases.
Of the executions for which gender could be confirmed, 1,681 were men and 59 were women. The gender of roughly 10% of those executed could not be verified due to limited official information, the report said.
Human rights groups noted that executions were carried out across multiple regions of Iran, including Ahwaz and other areas with significant minority populations, raising renewed concerns over due process and fair trials.
