Iran executed at least 975 people last year, highest since 2015: UN report

Iran carried out executions at an alarming rate last year with at least 975 people killed, the United Nations chief said in a report that also cited other human rights abuses, from barriers to freedom of expression to the use of torture and arbitrary detention.

UN deputy human rights commissioner Nada Al-Nashif, who presented the report to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Wednesday, urged Iran to halt all executions as a first step toward a ban.

She also called for urgent diplomatic negotiations to end the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.

The 975 people executed in 2024 surpassed the estimated 834 in 2023 and was the highest rate of executions since 2015, said the report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Four of the executions were carried out publicly. Iran carries out executions by hanging.

Of those executed, 52 per cent were for drug-related offenses, 43 per cent for murder, 2 per cent for sexual offenses and 3 per cent for security-related offenses, the report said.

The number of women executed also increased. According to information received by the UN human rights office, at least 31 women were reported to have been executed in 2024, up from at least 22 in 2023. Among those 31 women were 19 reportedly executed for murder, including nine convicted of killing their husbands in cases involving domestic violence, forced marriage or child marriage.

Also among those executed were women and men connected to protests that began in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, who was arrested by Iran's morality police and accused of not wearing her head covering correctly.

The report also said a disproportionate number of those executed were from Iran's minorities, with at least 108 Baluch prisoners and 84 Kurdish prisoners among those executed last year.

Citing information received by the human rights office, the report said at least 31 people, including political dissidents, were executed for national security-related offenses such as spying for Israel.

The rights office said it also received reports of torture, arbitrary detention and trials that failed to comply with due process and fair trial standards.

As for the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, the report said information received by the rights office found that at least 125 journalists were prosecuted for their work in 2024. At least 40 female journalists were prosecuted or summoned for their reporting, the report said.

Al-Nashif said Iran has cooperated with the human rights office, but Guterres regrets that the government has denied access to the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran that the Human Rights Council established.