Iran | 71 Executions Recorded in July; At Least 444 Hanged in 2026

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 6 August 2026: At least 71 people were executed in July 2026, including 36 for murder, 26 for drug-related offences, eight for security-related charges, and one for rape. Six protesters were amongst those executed in July.

In the first seven months of 2026, IHRNGO has recorded 444 executions, including 12 women, 17 foreign nationals, and 80 ethnic minorities. The 2026 executions also include 28 protesters (26 from the January protests and two from “Woman, Life, Freedom”), 13 political prisoners affiliated with banned opposition groups, and 12 espionage defendants.

Hundreds of protesters, including over 70 in Isfahan alone, are currently facing the death penalty in Iran. IHRNGO continues to raise the alarm over the escalation of political prisoner executions.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of the organisation, stated, "We are deeply concerned that the ongoing military conflict between the Islamic Republic, the United States, and Israel will be used to intensify executions under the pretext of national security. The international community must respond with stronger and more coordinated pressure against the Islamic Republic’s use of the death penalty.”

According to data verified by Iran Human Rights, the Islamic Republic of Iran executed at least 71 people in July, bringing the total number of executions recorded in the first seven months of 2026 to at least 444.

IHRNGO has also received reports of more than 400 additional executions that have not been verified and are therefore not included in these statistics. The organisation only includes execution cases that include sufficient documentation or are confirmed by two independent sources.

January to July 2026 executions at a glance:

At least 444 people were executed between 1 January and 31 July 2026
Only 67 or 15% of the recorded executions were announced by official sources. The remaining 377 executions were verified through two independent sources by IHRNGO
227 of those executed, including 4 protesters, were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder
143 were on death row for drug-related offences
63 people were executed on national security charges. Of those, 24 were protesters, 13 were political prisoners affiliated with banned opposition groups, 12 were accused of espionage and/or collaboration with foreign states, 7 were convicted of armed robbery, 4 were accused of affiliation with ISIS, and three of the cases are unknown
10 people were executed for rape charges
The charges against one woman is unknown
One of the executed men is believed to have been under the age of 18 at the time of his alleged offence
12 of those executed were women (8 for murder charges and 3 for drug-related offences)
At least 37 Baluch, 34 Kurd and 9 Arab ethnic minorities were amongst those executed
15 Afghan and 2 Iraqi nationals were also executed during this period
2 of the executions were carried out publicly

Ghezel Hesar Prison’s 17-day strike in July

After a seventeen-day strike by people on death row for drug offences in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, authorities promised to temporarily halt drug-related executions at the prison. The protest began on 13 July when six drug defendants were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

Following mounting pressure, government officials met with the strikers on 28 July to negotiate. The strike officially ended the following day (29 July) after authorities promised a temporary suspension of drug executions and returned the six men to the general ward.

Welcoming the suspension, IHRNGO called for the temporary halt to be extended into a nationwide moratorium on all drug-related executions across Iran. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam noted that the concession proves authorities will stop carrying out such sentences when the political cost becomes too high.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, August 6, 2026

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

Death Penalty News For a World without the Death Penalty

Comments

François Mitterrand, the Justice Minister Who Sent 45 Men to the Guillotine

The socialist president celebrated for abolishing the death penalty in France sent 45 condemned men to the guillotine when he was Minister of Justice. In French political history, François Mitterrand is the father of the historic victory of May 1981. He remains associated with one of the greatest moral laws of the Fifth Republic: the definitive end of capital executions, carried through with Robert Badinter in the autumn of 1981.

Texas | Jury recommends death penalty for man convicted of killing San Benito police lieutenant

A Cameron County jury recommended the death penalty for Rogelio Martinez for killing a San Benito police lieutenant during a police chase in Brownsville. Martinez stared forward as the judge announced the recommendation. Lt. Milton Resendez's family told Martinez in court that their lives will never be the same. Resendez's wife and siblings walked past cameras and declined to speak with reporters. Inside the courtroom, where no audio or video recording was allowed, Resendez's sister Jackie raised her voice at Martinez during impact statements.

Alabama | Brian Martin sentenced to death in killing of Sheffield Sgt. Nick Risner

Brian Lansing Martin was sentenced to death Monday for killing Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner, whose death prompted Alabama lawmakers to restrict early-release credits for inmates convicted of killing someone with a deadly weapon. A Colbert County judge formally imposed the sentence Oct. 26, following a jury’s unanimous recommendation in September, WAFF reported. “Today’s sentence represents justice and accountability for the murder of Sergeant Nick Risner,” Colbert County District Attorney Hal Hughston said in a statement quoted by the station.

Florida | Bunnell man sentenced to death for fatally stabbing wife outside their home in 2024

A Flagler County judge sentenced Jermaine Mandell Williams Sr. to death Monday for stabbing his wife outside their Bunnell home in 2024. Williams, 34, was convicted of 1st-degree murder in July. Jurors deliberated about 20 minutes before finding him guilty and later voted 11-1 to recommend the death penalty. The attack happened Aug. 2, 2024. Surveillance video and testimony showed Williams went inside the home, returned with an 8-inch chef’s knife and attacked his wife, Yolonda Charmaine Williams, in the street, according to court and prosecution accounts. She was stabbed 19 to 20 times and later died at a hospital.

Medical experts shocked by Tennessee team’s ‘malpractice’ in Christa Pike’s failed execution

New details of IV team’s attempts to find a vein shared by Pike’s lawyer ‘shocked and disturbed’ practitioners Medical experts have expressed shock at the apparent incompetence shown by Tennessee’s execution team during the failed lethal injection of Christa Pike , the prisoner who survived a normally fatal dose of pentobarbital, which they say would be considered medical malpractice in any other setting.

Indiana governor rejects brain scans for death row inmate ahead of execution

Gov. Mike Braun is still weighing Jeffrey Weisheit’s clemency request, however. Gov. Mike Braun’s administration will not allow death row inmate Jeffrey Weisheit to undergo additional brain scans before his scheduled execution next week. The decision follows weeks of legal efforts by his attorneys to obtain additional medical evidence for his clemency case. Braun’s general counsel, Stephanie Flittner, met with Weisheit’s legal team Wednesday to discuss the testing and his pending clemency request.

Indiana Parole Board hears testimony on clemency for man scheduled for Nov. 5 execution

Jeffrey Weisheit set his house on fire in 2010, killing his girlfriend’s two young children he was watching. The Indiana Parole Board will now make a recommendation in the coming days to Governor Mike Braun on whether to grant clemency to condemned killer Jeffrey Weisheit. Jeffrey is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 5 for the 2010 murder of his girlfriend's 2 children in Vanderburgh County.

Saudi Arabia executes woman, 'terrorists', 'indecent' couple, and juvenile offenders

Saudi Arabia carried out a series of executions in mid-October, including that of a woman convicted of killing her mother and attempting to kill her sister, alongside five men in the Eastern Province. Official statements described the five as terrorists; human rights groups described them as political prisoners sentenced under discretionary (ta’zir) penalties, one of whom was a child at the time of the alleged acts. The cases illustrate the kingdom’s continued use of the death penalty under Sharia, its stated commitment to public order and justice, and criticism from human rights organizations over the scope of capital punishment.

Florida executes William Reaves

Florida puts 77-year-old man to death for a deputy's killing in its 18th execution this year Florida carried out its 18th execution of the year on Tuesday under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term. William Reaves, 77, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a 3-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 shooting death of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkowski.

Florida | William Reaves set to be executed on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m.

With his execution date looming, convicted killer William Reaves will soon be moved from Raiford's Union Correctional Institution to a death watch cell in nearby Florida State Prison, a maximum-security complex also known as "The Rock." Reaves, 77, a former Gifford resident in Indian River County who’s been on death row for 38 years, is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. His execution will fulfill a sentence of death imposed for the 1986 fatal shooting of Indian River County Sheriff’s Cpl. Richard “Raz” Raczkoski outside a Zippy Mart store on State Road 60 west of Vero Beach.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog