Rising Tide of Political Executions in Iran Amid War Turmoil

Mon Jun 01 2026 08:50:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The use of capital punishment as a tool for political repression in Iran is escalating sharply. A chilling account from Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, executed earlier this month, highlights the desperate plight of those facing death sentences amidst rising tensions.

Since the onset of military conflict, Iran has seen a significant surge in political executions, with at least 32 verified since the hostilities began. Human rights organizations report that the regime's intensified use of the death penalty serves to silence dissent and instill fear among the population. The accounts of executed individuals and their torturous confessions cast a dark shadow over the country's trending repressive measures.

The line is crackly. But the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady.

He's on death row in western Iran. He speaks quickly - as if time is running out. And his message is desperate.

You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it, he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it. I am innocent.

Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force.

After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges.

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners.

This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically motivated charges taking place across the whole of 2025, according to Amnesty International.

The UN's Human Rights Office has warned the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent.

Several of those killed this year were accused of spying for Israel or the CIA, while some were accused of being affiliated with an exiled opposition group. Fourteen of them were arrested in relation to the uprising in January this year, which was crushed with lethal force - leading to thousands of deaths.

In Iran, the authorities carry out executions by hanging. They carry them out at dawn, says Nassim Papayianni of Amnesty International. People in Iran have been waking up to near-daily announcements of executions.

With its increased use of the death penalty, the regime is attempting to restore authority after its image was damaged by the January uprising and the war, according to Kaveh Kermanshahi of the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

Erfan Shakourzadeh, a 29-year-old master's student in aerospace engineering, was hanged on 11 May. Iran's judiciary said he'd been convicted of sharing classified information with Israeli and US intelligence.

But the Norway-based Hengaw human rights organization published a note they say he wrote before his death, claiming he was tortured into making a false confession.

The chilling accounts of those on death row highlight the dire state of human rights in Iran, amidst a backdrop of political unrest and escalating tensions.