Iran
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 869
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 2,156
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · The 1999 figures for capital sentences and executions...
- News items in the archive
- 9,219
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Iran is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 869 executions in the country, against 2,156 the year before. The archive holds 9,219 news items on Iran, from 1999 to today.
Iran is one of the countries where the association records the highest number of executions each year. The usual method is hanging, and capital punishment applies to a wide list of offences: murder, drug offences, offences against state security, sexual offences, and charges such as moharebeh, enmity against God, which allow very broad application.
Many executions are never announced. They emerge from local sources, from human rights organisations and from families. For Iran, more than anywhere else, the archive's count is a documented minimum.
Latest news
SEPTEMBER 11, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN: MAN HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran has hanged a man convicted of drug trafficking in a prison in the northern city of Sari, the government's Iran newspaper reported
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: HRW CALLS FOR GLOBAL END TO JUVENILE EXECUTIONS
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report calling on Iran, Saudi Arabia...
- SEPTEMBER 10, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
two Iranian Christians have officially been charged with 'apostasy'.
two Iranian Christians have officially been charged with 'apostasy'.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN MOVES ONE STEP CLOSER TO MANDATING DEATH PENALTY FOR APOSTASY
Iran's parliament, or Majlis, voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of a draft law that would mandate the death penalty for apostates
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH
the Mullahs' Regime in Iran sentenced two prisoners, a man and a woman named Mojtaba and Fatemeh, to death, the state-run Khorasan reported.
- SEPTEMBER 5, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: 19 YEAR OLD SENTENCED TO DEATH
in the most recent death sentence passed on a juvenile in Iran, a 19 year old indentified only by his first name, Hossein, will soon face the gallows for the alleged crime committed when he was 17
SEPTEMBER 5, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN. SUPREME COURT QUASHES JOURNALIST’S DEATH SENTENCE
Reporters Without Borders welcomed with great relief the ruling by the Tehran Supreme
- SEPTEMBER 4, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
DEATH PENALTY. CAPPATO: REALISATION OF THE UN MORATORIUM URGENT
the European Parliament approved a resolution on the worrying increase in executions in Iran.
SEPTEMBER 2, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYUN RIGHTS OFFICE CONCERN AT RISING IRAN EXECUTIONS
The U.N. human rights office voiced concern at a recent rise in executions in Iran and implored
SEPTEMBER 1, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN HANGS MAN FOR KILLING WIFE
a man convicted of killing his wife was hanged in a prison in the central
- AUGUST 31, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
Iran hanged a man in the western city of Borujerd, the Kayhan newspaper reported.
Iran hanged a man in the western city of Borujerd, the Kayhan newspaper reported.
- AUGUST 30, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS MAN FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran hanged a man convicted of drug trafficking in the northern town of Noshahr, Fars news agency reported.
- AUGUST 29, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN. MAN EXECUTED IN SEMNAN
a man was hanged in the prison of Semnan (east of Tehran), the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
AUGUST 27, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN. WOMAN AMONG FIVE EXECUTED
Four men and one woman were hanged in a Tehran jail for murder, with two others given
- AUGUST 26, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS THREE FOR DRUG DEALING IN SOUTHEAST PROVINCE
the Provincial judiciary department announced that verdicts were passed for the execution of three people for drug smuggling.
AUGUST 26, 2008IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN. ANOTHER MAN HANGED FOR CRIME COMMITTED AS A MINOR
Iran hanged a man for a murder committed at the age of 15, the second execution in a week that
- AUGUST 24, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS MAN FOR MURDER AFTER 19 YEARS
Iran hanged a man convicted of raping and murdering a relative in the prison of Tabriz (northwest Iran), reported the state run news agency ISCAnews
- AUGUST 20, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: ARTISTS SUMMONED FOR EXPRESSING SYMPATHY WITH MINORS ON DEATH ROW
in Iran, two movie stars and a director, Ezatollah Entezami, Parviz Parastooi and Kiumars Pour-Ahmadi were summoned to Tehran's prosecutor office for trying to save the life of a juvenile prisoner, the state-run daily Kargozaran reported.
- AUGUST 20, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS MAN FOR DRUG DEALING IN SOUTHEAST PROVINCE
the public relations unit of the Sistan-Baluchestan Province judiciary department in Iran announced that the Zahedan Islamic Revolution Court issued a ruling on the execution of Bahram Nikpur.
- AUGUST 20, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: MAN HANGED FOR MURDER IN BOJNOURD
the Iranian governement hanged a man convicted of murder in the northeastern town of Bojnourd, a press report said.
- AUGUST 19, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: CONDEMNATION FOR MULLAHS' VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
France, the EU's current rotary president, expressed again in a statement "its deep concern" over the imminent execution order of Behnood Shojaee.
- AUGUST 19, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRANIAN FACES HANGING FOR MURDER COMMITTED AS MINOR
Kargozaran newspaper said that Iran’s judiciary has approved the death sentence for a young man who committed murder as a minor.
- AUGUST 19, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN 'HANGS MAN FOR MURDER COMMITTED AS MINOR'
Iran hanged a man for a murder committed at the age of 15, in violation of an international convention on child rights, reports said. Reza Hejazi, 20, was hanged in a prison in the central city of Isfahan for stabbing a man to death in a fight in 2003, th
- AUGUST 19, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS TWO CONVICTED OF DRUG SMUGGLING
Iran hanged two convicted of drug smuggling inside a Tehran prison, the state run news agency Quds reported
- AUGUST 19, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
two men were hanged in the in the prison of Isfahan...
two men were hanged in the in the prison of Isfahan...
- AUGUST 18, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: FOUR YOUNG PEOPLE FACE EXECUTION
four young people, who were minors at the time their alleged crimes were committed, are expected to be hanged in the next few days.
- AUGUST 14, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
MAN HANGED FOR ADULTERY IN SOUTHEAST IRAN
a man was hanged in Zahedan, Iran, on charges of adultery. According to the public relations unit of the main judiciary department of Sistan-Baluchestan Province, the suspect Hasan Sadeqpur was sentenced to death by hanging on charges of adultery followin
- AUGUST 12, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN: KURDISH STUDENT SENTENCED TO DEATH
an Iranian court sentenced to death a Kurdish student, Habibollah Latifi, his lawyer Nemat Ahmadi announced.
- AUGUST 11, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN HANGS FOUR FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING
Iran hanged four convicted of drug trafficking in a prison in the southeastern city of Zahedan, the state-run television's website reported.
- AUGUST 9, 2008IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN TO EXECUTE FOUR FOR RAPING A MAN
a court in Iran handed death sentences to four men including a minor for raping a man after a fight, the Etemad Melli newspaper reported.