OPINION
Iran's Alarming Execution Rate Demands Global Attention
In an age where information travels faster than ever, silence on certain issues remains deafening. A particularly grim instance is the current situation in Iran, where the execution tally has surged dramatically.
Since August of this year, when Masoud Pezeshkian became president, the regime has executed 672 individuals, including 11 on Dec. 15 alone, one of whom was a woman, bringing to 22 the number of women who have been sent to the gallows.
The number since January 2024 stands as 988, including 33 women and eight political prisoners. This staggering number isn't just a statistic; it's a chilling indicator of a regime that continues to punish its citizens with the utmost severity, under questionable legal standards.
The scale and swiftness with which these executions are being carried out warrant a closer examination of Iran's judicial processes.
Historically, the Iranian judicial system has been criticized for its lack of transparency and fairness. Trials lack the procedural safeguards recognized internationally as necessary for fairness.
Defendants are frequently denied access to legal representation and, in many cases, are subjected to torture and other inhumane treatment to extract confessions.
The death penalty is often meted out for a range of offenses that, under international law, do not warrant such severe punishment.
This spike in executions under Pezeshkian’s brief tenure highlights an unsettling trend.
Rather than progressing toward greater adherence to international human rights norms, Iran is regressing.
This regression is not occurring in isolation.
It coincides with increasing domestic unrest within Iran, driven by economic dissatisfaction, political repression, and societal demands for more significant freedoms and rights.
The state's response, however, has been one of intensified crackdowns rather than dialogue and reform. In effect, executions in Iran are not primarily intended to deter crime; rather, they serve as a political tool to intimidate and instill fear among an increasingly restive population.
Earlier this month, a formidable coalition of 3,000 former world leaders, ministers, ambassadors, United Nations officials, lawmakers, Nobel Laureates, and NGOs in 87 countries rallied behind a significant initiative led by Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
They collectively endorsed Rajavi's urgent appeal to halt executions in Iran.
Concurrently, hundreds of political prisoners, spanning 28 different Iranian prisons, have echoed this demand through a sustained hunger strike protest known as "No to Executions Tuesday," now in its 48th week.
The global community's response to this crisis has been tepid at best.
While global leaders and human rights organizations have issued condemnations, the lack of substantive action or pressure on the Iranian government has been conspicuous.
This inaction sends a dangerous message: that political relationships and economic interests will be prioritized over human rights.
It also reassures the regime that it can continue its atrocities with impunity, which was highlighted in a landmark July 2024 66-page report by the then-UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, Professor Javaid Rehman, "'Atrocity Crimes' and grave violations of human rights committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (1981–1982 and 1988)." Prof. Rehman wrote that these egregious crimes amounted to crime against humanity and genocide.
Why should the world care?
First, the principles at stake — justice, fairness, and human dignity — are universal.
When a country openly flouts these principles by conducting mass executions, it challenges the whole international community to respond.
Second, there is a broader geopolitical context.
Iran's internal policies often reflect its external postures.
As tensions between Iran and other countries escalate, understanding and engaging with its internal dynamics becomes crucial for global stability.
What can be done?
The United Nations, in collaboration with western nations, should intensify pressure on Iran to comply with international human rights norms.
The UN must present Iran's dire human rights situation to the Security Council, advocating for targeted and punitive measures.
Additionally, the UN should send a delegation to directly inspect Iranian prisons and engage with political prisoners.
Meanwhile, Europe must implement diplomatic efforts and targeted economic sanctions against Iranian officials involved in human rights abuses.
The European Union (EU), in particular, should condition its diplomatic and trade relations with the mullahs on the immediate end to executions and torture, especially of political prisoners.
Finally, universal jurisdiction should be leveraged to hold Iranian regime officials accountable for decades of crimes against humanity and genocide in an appropriate international tribunal.
The situation in Iran presents a crucial test for the global community.
Will it stand by a shared commitment to human rights, or will it remain silent in the face of convenience and realpolitik?
History will judge our actions not just by the outcomes we achieve, but by the values we defend. Silence and inaction are no longer options when lives are at stake.
The time for a decisive, principled stand is now.
By Ali Safavi - Safavi (@amsafavi) is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and President of the Near East Policy Research, a policy analysis and research firm in Washington, D.C.
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