UN experts shocked at 'industrial-scale' executions in Iran
What's the story
United Nations human rights experts have expressed shock at the "dramatic escalation" of executions in Iran, with over 1,000 people killed in the first nine months of 2025. The five special rapporteurs said, "The sheer scale of executions in Iran is staggering and represents a grave violation of the right to life." They noted that half of these executions were for drug-related offenses, and an average of nine hangings per day have been recorded recently.
Government response
Iran's government yet to respond to UN experts' statement
Iran's government has not yet responded to the UN experts' statement. However, it has previously defended its use of the death penalty for "the most severe crimes." The condemnation comes on a day when Iran executed a man accused of spying for Israel. The judiciary's Mizan news agency identified him as Bahman Choubi Asl, a database expert working on sensitive telecommunications projects, and allegedly spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
Execution statistics
Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights report
Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights have recorded over 1,000 executions in Iran since January, already exceeding last year's total of 975. The majority of those executed this year were accused of drug-related charges (50%), followed by murder (43%) and security-related charges (3%) of "armed rebellion against the state", "corruption on Earth" and "enmity against God"; and 1% of spying. The groups also noted that the executions followed unfair trials with allegations of torture.
Global response
UN experts call for diplomatic action against Iran
The UN experts warned on Monday that Iran is conducting executions on an "industrial scale" that violates human rights standards. They called on the international community to take diplomatic action to pressure Iran to stop this execution spree. The experts also highlighted concerns over 499 people being executed for drug-related offenses, which they said do not meet the threshold of "most serious crimes" as per international law.