According to a UN report, Iran executed at least 901 people in 2024, the highest number recorded in nine years and representing a 6% increase from 2023. This alarming statistic includes approximately 40 executions in a single week in December, highlighting a troubling trend in capital punishment within the country.

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed his concern: "It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year. It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions." Most of the executed individuals were sentenced for drug-related offenses, while dissidents tied to the 2022 protests also faced execution.

The figures collected by the UN’s rights office reveal that the surge in executions has alarmed activists, who claim Iranian authorities manipulate capital punishment to instill fear among the populace, particularly following the nationwide protests spurred by the death of a young Kurdish woman in police custody. According to this report, the execution of women also saw a significant rise, with at least 31 women executed last year.

Another report from Iran Human Rights indicated that ethnic minorities were disproportionately affected, with over half of those executed belonging to these groups, including 183 Kurds. Activists argue that many drug-related offenses do not meet the threshold for “most serious crimes”, necessary for capital punishment under international law.

Concerns have been raised regarding juvenile offenders, with reports indicating the execution of at least five juvenile offenders in 2024, despite international prohibitions against such actions. Ana CBS News analysis noted that the last extensive rise occurred in 2015, with 972 executions recorded.

The UN's rights chief has called upon Iranian authorities to immediately halt all executions and consider a moratorium on capital punishment. "The death penalty is incompatible with the fundamental right to life and raises the unacceptable risk of executing innocent people," Türk emphasized, urging a move towards abolition.