Political Executions in Iran: A Grave Surge Amidst Turmoil

Mon Jun 01 2026 19:45:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A chilling report reveals that political executions in Iran have surged dramatically since the commencement of conflict with Israel and the US. The voices of the condemned resonate with urgency and despair as they call for attention to their plight.

The ongoing crisis in Iran has led to a significant increase in political executions, with at least 32 confirmed since the outbreak of war on February 28. Amidst allegations of torture and wrongful convictions, the UN warns that the regime is using the death penalty as a propaganda tool to suppress dissent and instill fear.

The line is crackly. But the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady.

He's on death row in western Iran. He speaks quickly - as if time is running out. And his message is desperate.

You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it, he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it. I am innocent.

Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force.

After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges.

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners.

This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges taking place across the whole of 2025, according to Amnesty International.

The UN's Human Rights Office has warned the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent.

"In Iran, the authorities carry out executions by hanging. They carry them out at dawn," says Naseem Papayianni of Amnesty International. "People in Iran have been waking up to near-daily announcements of executions."

The regime's increased use of the death penalty is an attempt to restore authority as it confronts multiple crises, according to Kaveh Kermanshahi of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

Cases such as that of Sasan Azadvar, a 21-year-old karate champion executed for alleged violence during protests, demonstrate a troubling trend where the death penalty is disproportionately applied to dissenters and marginalized communities.

Human rights activists call for urgent global awareness to halt the cycle of repression and executions that continue to haunt Iranian society.