Full Breakdown
Surge in Executions in Iran: A Human Rights Crisis
12/20/2025, 7:38:15 AM
Escalating Execution Rates
The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) reports that Iran has recorded over 2,000 executions in 2025, more than double the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights' count of 975 executions in 2024, which was the highest since 2015. The MEK attributes this alarming increase to a combination of factors, including a declining currency, widespread protests, internal power struggles, and renewed U.N. sanctions. This year's execution total is the highest recorded since the 1980s, with the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stating that Iran is executing up to nine prisoners daily.
The "No to Execution Tuesdays" Campaign
In response to the escalating executions, the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign has been active for 99 consecutive weeks, with participants in 55 prisons engaging in coordinated hunger strikes. This campaign highlights the stark contrast between the global call for reconciliation and Iran's increasing use of executions as a tool of repression. Participants assert that execution negates justice and undermines any possibility of social healing, emphasizing that their resistance is rooted in the daily reality of executions carried out without fair trials or legal representation.
Political Prisoners and New Death Sentences
The campaign has drawn attention to the plight of political prisoners facing death sentences. Notably, Ramin Zelleh was sentenced to death for "baghi" (armed rebellion), and several other political prisoners have also received death sentences from Tehran's Revolutionary Court. The MEK has called for international action, urging the global community to support Iranian protesters and recognize their right to resist the regime.
Official Statements & Responses
Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, criticized the U.S. for lagging in its response to Iranian human rights violations, suggesting that more practical measures are necessary to support the Iranian people. He emphasized that the U.S. human rights policy should not be limited to social media commentary but should actively support the Iranian populace against the regime's oppressive tactics.
Criticism & Opposition
Critics of the Iranian regime, including Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, have condemned the execution campaign. Rajavi called for all relations with Iran to be contingent on halting executions and placing members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on terrorist lists. The MEK and other human rights organizations argue that the regime's actions reflect a broader strategy of political repression and social control.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
While the MEK reports over 2,000 executions in 2025, the U.N. has documented 975 executions in 2024, indicating a significant discrepancy in reported figures. Additionally, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has not commented on these reports, leaving gaps in the official narrative regarding the human rights situation in the country.
Verbatim Quotes
“Reconciliation is impossible without truth and justice, and execution is the negation of justice and the absolute denial of any possibility of social reconciliation.” — Statement from imprisoned participants of the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign.
“ "The imperative for Washington to support Iranian protesters…” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“ Such practices, prisoners warn, demonstrate that execution has become institutionalized as a method of political and social control, rather than a judicial sanction.” — Statement from the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign.
