Intensification of Execution Crisis in Iran: At Least 152 Executed in May

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); June 2, 2025: At least 152 people including four women, five Afghan nationals, 19 Baluch, nine Kurdish and two Arab minorities were executed in Iran in May. One of the executions was carried out publicly.

The number of executions in the first five months of 2025 is 96% more than the same period in 2024.

Reiterating that the Islamic Republic uses the death penalty as a tool of political repression, Iran Human Rights warns of an escalation in the executions in the coming months to suppress strikes and prevent further protests, and calls for an immediate response from the international community.

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “Those who are executed do not receive a fair trial and are often among the most vulnerable segments of society. Despite the unprecedentedly high number of executions in Iran, the international community has not shown an adequate response to this human rights crisis. We call on the United Nations, the European Union, and countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic to protest and increase the cost of executions for the Iranian authorities. Without backlash, we will witness hundreds more executions in the coming months.”

May 2025 Executions at a Glance

At least 152 people were executed
Of those, only 15 (10%) were announced by official sources
74 people (nearly 49%) were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder
68 of those executed (45%) were on death row for drug-related offences
4 people were executed for the security-related charges of baghy (armed rebellion), efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) and moharebeh (enmity against god)
Of those, one was accused of espionage for Israel and three were for armed robberies
6 people were on death row for rape charges
4 women were executed
19 Baluch (13 % of all executions)، 9 Kurdish and two Arab minorities were amongst those executed
5 Afghan nationals and an unknown foreign-national were executed
One of the executions took place in a public space

In the first five months of 2025, at least 511 people including 16 women, 32 Afghan nationals and one unknown foreign national were executed in Iran. Of those, 244 were for drug-related offences, 233 were for murder, 16 for security-related charges and 16 for rape. Only 28 executions or 5% were announced by official sources. Two of the executions were carried out in public spaces.

The number of executions in the first five months of 2025 were 96% higher than those recorded in the same period last year when 261 executions were recorded.

Given the surge in protests, including the current truckers’ strikes, there are fears that the Islamic Republic will intensify its use of the death penalty to intimidate the public in coming weeks. The international community’s response to stop the execution crisis in Iran is therefore more crucial than ever.

Cases of family members physically carrying out executions in May 2025:

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s next of kin are burdened with the responsibility to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness. Should they choose retribution, the victim’s family are not only encouraged to attend to watch the hanging but also to physically carry it out themselves.

The inhumanity and cruelty of such a burden is exacerbated when murder occurs within families. In May, at least two men were physically hanged by their own uncles:

Hassan Saei

Hassan Saei was arrested and sentenced to qisas for the murder of his cousin. He was executed in Tabriz Central Prison on 6 May 2025. According to informed IHRNGO sources, Hassan’s execution was carried out by his maternal uncle as the plaintiff in the case.

Alireza Gholibeigi

Alireza Gholibeigi was a 33-year-old man who was arrested and sentenced to qisas for the murder of his cousin four years ago. His execution was carried out by his maternal uncle in Qom Central Prison on 19 May 2025.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, June 2, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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