World Day Against the Death Penalty: The Islamic Republic Executed 9 Times More Political Prisoners This Year Than the Annual Average of the Past 14 Years

October 10, 2026 — On the occasion of the "World Day Against the Death Penalty" (October 10), Kurdpa Human Rights Organization releases a detailed, disaggregated, and documented statistical report warning against an unprecedented and accelerated wave of political executions in Iran. Collected data indicates that in the one-year period from October 10, 2025, to October 10, 2026, the execution machinery of the Islamic Republic of Iran, amid intensified political repression, executed at least 67 political prisoners. This figure represents an approximately ninefold increase in political executions compared to the annual average of the preceding 14 years.

This report also examines the patterns of repression within this unprecedented wave, including: a detailed breakdown of charges, an analysis of the phase of expedited executions, secrecy surrounding execution venues, public executions, media scenario-building through broadcasted forced confessions under torture, punishment of families through the enforced disappearance of bodies and prohibition of mourning ceremonies, as well as an analysis of the ethnic and national composition of those executed. Ultimately, Kurdpa warns that the Islamic Republic has entered a phase of utilizing the death penalty as maximum terror to complete the imposition of a security-military atmosphere over society. It stresses that with hundreds of other political prisoners facing immediate risk of execution, the Islamic Republic recognizes no internal constraint or deterrence to halt the killings. Consequently, verbal condemnations remain ineffective, and stopping this execution machine requires immediate, serious, and comprehensive international action.

1) Overview of Statistics:

102 Executions Over 14 Years vs. 67 Executions in One Year

Over the past 14 years (2012 to October 10, 2025), a total of 102 political prisoners were executed in Iran—an annual average of slightly over 7 executions per year.

In contrast, during the past year alone (from October 10, 2025, to October 10, 2026), at least 67 political prisoners were executed. This data shows that the annual rate of political executions during this period was approximately 9 times higher than the annual average of the previous 14 years.

Overall Execution Statistics: From October 2025 to October 2026, at least 1,066 individuals were executed in Iran on various charges (Kurdpa had previously documented 8,260 executions in Iran between 2012 and 2025).

2) Timeline of Expedited Political Executions Since January 2026

First Stage (January and February 2026): Execution of 2 political prisoners on espionage charges.
Second Stage / Phase of Maximum Repression (From March 18, 2026, to October 2026): Transition into a phase of expedited execution of sentences, particularly targeting protesters and individuals accused of espionage.

reaching an unprecedented average of over 7 political executions per week. This timeframe represents the highest rate of political executions in a short period since the 1980s.

3) Breakdown of Charges and Cases of the 67 Executed Political Prisoners

Espionage and War-Related Cases (35 individuals): Including 31 cases linked to alleged ties with Israel (14 protesters from January 2026, 4 in connection with the 40-Day War, 2 in connection with the 12-Day War, and 11 with similar charges) and 4 cases linked to alleged ties with Arab nations.
Moharebeh (Enmity Against God) and Corruption on Earth (20 individuals): Entirely concerning detainees and protesters from the nationwide protests of January 2026.
Bagh-yi (Armed Rebellion) (10 individuals): Including 7 individuals in connection with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), 2 individuals linked to Kurdish political parties, and 1 Baloch citizen.
In Connection with the "Woman, Life, Freedom" Protests (2 individuals): Protesters detained during the uprising.

Note: This categorization is strictly based on the charges levied by state judicial institutions and does not imply confirmation of the validity of these claims.

4) Patterns of Human Rights Violations and Denial of Due Process

Kurdpa's data demonstrates that security and judicial institutions deployed highly structured patterns to deny defence rights and instill public fear:

Secrecy Surrounding Execution Venues: Despite the official publication of execution news, state reports omitted any reference to the exact execution locations. Furthermore, 60% of these individuals were executed in groups of 2 to 3 in complete news blackouts.
Public Executions: Execution of sentences for at least 6 January 2026 protesters in public in the cities of Qom and Isfahan.
State Propaganda and Forced Confessions Under Torture: Forced confession projects and media scenario-building were executed against 63 out of the 67 prisoners (94%):
- 31 cases: Broadcast of forced confessions in undisclosed locations combined with edited/montaged attributed footage.
- 20 cases: Broadcast of forced confessions in courtrooms combined with edited/montaged attributed footage.
- 8 cases: Broadcast of confessions obtained in secret trials, lacking chosen legal representation, and denied family attendance.
- 4 cases: Broadcast of forced confessions in undisclosed locations.
- 2 cases: Broadcast solely of attributed video footage.
Other cases: In 2 cases, only courtroom images were published without chosen legal counsel or family presence; and in the case of 2 Kurdish prisoners, no footage or confessions were released.

All forced confession videos were published in heavily edited and montaged formats, either simultaneously with or shortly after the executions. In numerous instances, the public was entirely unaware of the detention of these individuals, and their faces were broadcast for the first time on state media, as families had been subjected to severe security pressure against publicizing their cases.

5) The Crime of Enforced Disappearance of Victims' Bodies

One of the most inhumane dimensions of this wave of repression is the refusal to surrender the bodies of the executed to their families:

The bodies of 8 Kurdish citizens and 2 Baloch citizens were confiscated by security institutions following execution, constituting clear instances of Enforced Disappearance.
Exception in Body Surrender: Only the bodies of two Kurdish political prisoners, Ashkan Maleki and Mehrdad Mohammadinia, were returned to their families due to their Shia faith and their father’s status as a veteran of the 8-Year War. In all other cases, withholding bodies, concealing burial sites, and prohibiting mourning ceremonies were utilized as supplementary punitive measures against families.

6) Ethnic and National Composition of Executed Political Prisoners

Out of the 67 political prisoners executed in the past year (October 2025 to October 2026):

10 Kurdish citizens
2 Baloch citizens
2 Turk citizens
3 Afghan nationals
3 Iraqi nationals
47 citizens from other ethnicities/regions of Iran (or individuals whose precise ethnic identity could not be verified).

Ethnic Breakdown of the 14-Year Period (2012 to October 2025): Over the 14 years preceding this period, a total of 102 political prisoners were executed, comprising 37 Kurds, 20 Balochs, 12 Arabs, 1 Turk, and 32 from other ethnic backgrounds (24 of whom were executed on espionage charges).

Warning: Urgent Need for International Action and the Inefficacy of Verbal Condemnations

Condemning this unprecedented wave of state killings in the strongest terms, Kurdpa Human Rights Organization warns that the Islamic Republic has escalated repression via execution into a terrifying and devastating phase to intimidate society. This repression is not limited to expedited, secret, and unprecedented executions, but has taken on shocking dimensions through systematic psychological torture of families, widespread threats to force them into silence, enforced disappearance of bodies, and the imposition of compounding suffering. Nevertheless, despite this volume of violence, society remains in deep "collective mourning" for the thousands killed in the January 2026 protests, dozens of executed political prisoners, and over 100 political prisoners facing immediate risk of execution. Displaying absolute disregard for the value of human life and ignoring societal grief, the regime recognizes no moral or legal boundaries.

Kurdpa emphasizes that the experience of the past year has proven that mere "widespread condemnations" have failed to stop the execution machine; on the contrary, political executions have increased ninefold, illustrating the regime's instrumentalization of capital punishment to suppress freedoms and further militarize society. Therefore, without serious, practical, and comprehensive international action, the regime of the Islamic Republic will see no cause to reduce or halt executions, continuing its trajectory of expedited executions and escalating repression.

The statistics in this report are based on data collected by Kurdpa Human Rights Organization according to its established principles for documenting execution cases. Given the absence of freedom of expression, widespread repression, and frequent internet shutdowns by the state, the actual number of executions may exceed the figures documented in this report.