The Islamic Republic of Iran executed over 1,000 prisoners in 86 prisons across the country in 2024, according to a report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This staggering death toll is described as “an unprecedented figure in the past three decades,” representing a 16% increase from the 864 executions conducted in 2023.
Most executions by the regime occurred in the latter half of the year, with nearly 70% happening after the July election of President Masoud Pezeshkian. The fourth quarter of 2024 saw about 47% of these executions, coinciding with the regime facing severe regional defeats and escalating economic and social crises, as reported by the NCRI.
Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI, stated that the series of executions signify a “desperate attempt to prevent the uprising of an angry populace” demanding the complete overthrow of the regime. She emphasized that these medieval crimes only strengthen the resolve of Iran’s youth to overthrow the religious dictatorship.
IRAN SLAMMED FOR RECORD SURGE IN EXECUTIONS OF REGIME OPPONENTS: ‘TRUE FACE IS ON DISPLAY’
Rajavi further asserted that “any negotiations or dealings with [the regime] must be conditioned on ending executions and torture. Its leaders must be brought to justice for 45 years of crimes against humanity and genocide.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations for comments on the regime’s unprecedented level of executions, but the Mission declined to comment.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, remarked that “the more the regime appears weak abroad, the more it attempts to suppress dissent at home by increasing the number of executions,” which include political prisoners, non-violent offenders, and even hostages. He noted that October witnessed “a record number of killings by the clerical regime.”
This year, the Iranian regime executed prisoners including 34 women and seven individuals who were juveniles at the time of their crimes. Among those executed were 70 Afghan nationals, representing a 300% increase over the previous year.
The NCRI reports that 119 of the executed prisoners were from the Baluchi minority. An August 2024 report from the United Nations-mandated Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran highlighted that the Baluchis constitute 2% of the Iranian population, and ethnic and religious minorities have been “disproportionately impacted by the Government’s response to the protests that began in September 2022,” following the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in custody after being arrested for not wearing a headscarf.
Among those executed in 2024 was 69-year-old journalist Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen and long-time resident of the United States, who was kidnapped in Dubai in 2020 and executed in October after being charged with “corruption on earth” in what was described as a “grossly unfair” trial.
In an open letter shared by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, 25-year-old political prisoner Saeed Masouri conveyed that “we witness an execution every four hours on average.” He noted that during Christmas, “nearly 25 innocent people were executed, equating to almost one execution every 2.5 hours.”
Masouri expressed his despair, stating, “I no longer know how much more I must see and endure,” and explained that from the moment of his sentencing, he regarded every meeting as potentially his last, and every sound of the door as a death knell.
The NCRI reported that on the first day of 2025, 12 prisoners were executed by hanging at four Iranian prisons.
