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The United Nations has condemned Iran “in the strongest terms” for its unprecedented execution spree, as a prominent dissident group reports that 2,013 Iranians have been put to death under President Masoud Pezeshkian between January and mid-December of this year.
According to a report by the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), this figure more than doubles the 975 executions counted by the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights during the same period. The UN had already noted that the 2024 execution rate was the highest recorded since 2015. MEK documents provided to Fox News Digital claim this year’s execution total is the highest recorded since the 1980s.
The organization attributes the surge in executions to several factors, including Iran’s collapsing currency, widespread protests, internal power struggles, restored UN sanctions, and leadership fractures within the regime.
A State Department spokesperson condemned Tehran’s human rights violations, telling Fox News Digital, “We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s use of execution as a tool of political repression. For decades, the regime has subjected Iranians to torture, forced confessions, and sham trials, resulting in unlawful executions. Today, innocent civilians are being used as scapegoats for the regime’s military and economic failures.”
The spokesperson added that the Trump administration has reinstated maximum pressure policies and has designated “dozens of people and over 180 vessels in Iran’s shadow fleet to deplete the regime’s coffers” since January, marking a shift from previous approaches.
However, some experts argue that Washington needs to do more. Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program, told Fox News Digital that the U.S. has “been lagging behind” other Western nations in responding to Iranian human rights abuses. Canada, for example, recently imposed sanctions on four individuals following protests in the Iranian city of Mashhad in December.
“The lack of practical measures to support the Iranian people is a strategic own goal,” Taleblu said, noting that Iran “arrested over 21,000 people” following the 12-Day War in June amid what he described as “political repression that is even much more expansive than ever before.”
Taleblu suggested that any apparent social leniency by the regime, such as relaxing hijab laws, is merely an attempt to “retain their oligarchic political position in a post-Khamenei Iran” as the government “understands how weak it is.”
On December 10, the European Parliament marked International Human Rights Day by urging global action against Iran’s execution campaign. Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, addressed the parliament, calling for all relations with the regime to be “conditioned on the halt of executions” and for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Intelligence to be placed “on the terrorist list.”
The MEK has continuously urged U.S. policymakers to recognize the Iranian people’s right to resist and overthrow the regime, which they claim is the only way to eliminate the country’s theocratic rule.
Among the thousands sentenced to death is Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old engineer and mother who, according to MEK documentation, received her death sentence after a “sham 10-minute trial… without her chosen legal representation.” The organization claims Tabari was arrested for holding a banner reading “Woman, Resistance, Freedom.”
The execution rate in Iran has doubled since October. At that time, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that Iran was executing up to nine prisoners daily, describing it as an “unprecedented execution spree.” In response, death row inmates launched a hunger strike in protest.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment on the report.
The situation highlights growing international concern about human rights abuses in Iran, even as the regime faces mounting internal pressure from a population increasingly opposed to the theocratic government. Experts suggest that effective U.S. policy should include not just economic pressure but also stronger support for Iranian protesters seeking fundamental change.
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9 Comments
Deeply troubling to see the Iranian regime resorting to such extreme measures to maintain its grip on power. The surge in executions is a clear sign of the regime’s desperation and its willingness to sacrifice human lives for political gain.
Absolutely. The international community must take decisive action to hold the Iranian regime accountable and prevent further loss of life.
These reports underscore the urgent need for global action to address the Iranian regime’s atrocities. The world cannot remain silent in the face of such blatant disregard for human rights and dignity.
Sadly, this is not the first time the Iranian regime has used executions as a tool of political repression. The international community must take concerted action to put an end to these grave human rights violations and hold the regime accountable.
The sheer scale of these executions is staggering and a damning indictment of the Iranian regime’s disregard for human rights. The international community must not turn a blind eye to these atrocities and must take concrete steps to stop this bloodshed.
Deeply concerning reports coming out of Iran. The regime’s wanton use of executions to suppress dissent is abhorrent and a gross violation of human rights. The international community must strongly condemn these actions and work to hold the regime accountable.
The staggering increase in executions under the Pezeshkian government is a chilling sign of the regime’s desperation to cling to power. Restoring UN sanctions and applying further international pressure may be the only way to curb this egregious abuse of human life.
Agreed. The international community must act swiftly and decisively to prevent further loss of innocent life in Iran.
Executions as a political tool? This is a disturbing new low, even for the Iranian regime. The international community must not allow this to become the new normal and must take concrete steps to end these horrific human rights abuses.