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
- 8,610
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 8,610 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
JANUARY 30, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - IHR Calls for the Revocation of 6 Political Prisoners’ Death Penalty
Babak Alipour, Vahid Baniamerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Abolhassan Montazer and Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi
JANUARY 30, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Mehdi Salehzadeh and Abdollah Khademi executed in Isfahan on January 30
JANUARY 29, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 5 men executed in Shiraz
Hamid Fanaei, Amir Fanaei, Rasoul Minaei, Khosrow Abbaszadeh, and Mohammad Ali Heidari
JANUARY 29, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Female Prisoners in Evin
Report on 76 female political and security prisoners
JANUARY 28, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 53rd Week of Hunger Strikes in 34 Prisons
Year 2 of “No to Execution Tuesdays”
JANUARY 28, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Reza Radmand executed in Rasht “about a month ago”
information received by Hengaw on Feb. 28
JANUARY 27, 2025ItalyDEATH PENALTYIRAN - International Appeal to save Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani
Two political prisoners whoi coulod be executed within hours
JANUARY 26, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - 3 men executed in Karaj (Ghezel-Hesar) on January 26
Farzad Mirzaei, Farhad Ferdini, and Samad Hashemi
- JANUARY 26, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Hamid Jahangiri executed in Malayer on January 26
Already 81 executions in 2025
JANUARY 25, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hojjat Panahi executed in Rasht on January 25
JANUARY 25, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Iran accuses EU of ‘meddling’ after parliament condemned death penalties
- JANUARY 25, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Mostafa Aminnejad and Ebrahim … executed on January 25
In Shiraz and Nishapur
- JANUARY 24, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Amjad Amini, Jina Amini's father, accused of "Propaganda against the state"
For supporting Pakhshan Azizi
- JANUARY 23, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - European Parliament calls to end Iran's 'hostage diplomacy'
A resolution condemning Iran’s detention of European Union citizens
JANUARY 23, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - EU Parliament adopts resolution condemning Iran's use of death penalty
JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Unidentified man executed in Saveh on January 22
JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Lawyer of Pakhshan Azizi: Execution Temporarily Halted
- JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Ahmad Sasouli executed in Yazd on January 22
- JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Omid Besharatlou and Javad Jaberi executed in Karaj (Ghezel Hesar) on January 22
JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Four prisoners executed in Yazd on January 22
Ahmad Sasouli + 3 Unk
- JANUARY 22, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Naser Zandipour and Nader Minaeifar executed in Yazd on January 22
- JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Saeed Diani executed in Isfahan on January 21
- JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign Marks Its 1st Anniversary
- JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Karim Faridi executed in Zanjan on January 21
JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Online Conference on the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign
With the participation of Hands off Cain
JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Hojat Shahriari executed in Borazjan on January 21
JANUARY 21, 2025IranDEATH PENALTYIRAN - Sardar Mohammad executed in Bandar Abbas on January 21
- JANUARY 20, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Online conference in support of the #NoToExecutionTuesdays campaign
- JANUARY 20, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Gholamreza Seyed Mohammadkhani and Aref Azizi executed in Mashhad on January 20
- JANUARY 19, 2025IranDEATH PENALTY
IRAN - Bahram Valipour and Hossein Farhadi executed in Gorgan on January 19