UN experts condemn an ​​”amazing scale” of executions in Iran

The United Nations human rights experts said they were dismayed by a “spectacular escalation” in the number of executions in Iran, with more than 1,000 people killed in the first nine months of 2025.

“The scale of executions in Iran is astounding and represents a serious violation of the right to life,” warned the five special rapporteurs in a joint declaration.

They noted that half of the known executions concerned drug -related offenses and that nine hangings per day had been documented in recent weeks.

There was no immediate comment from Iran. But the government previously defended its use of the death penalty, saying that it is limited to “most serious crimes”.

This occurs the same day that Iran said that a man accused of espionage for Israel had been executed.

Mizan’s magistrate’s news agency named Bahman Choubi Asl and reported that he was a database expert who worked on “sensitive telecommunications projects” and was a “trusted spy” from the Mossad Intelligence agency, without providing proof.

He was hanged on Monday after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against his conviction for “corruption on earth,” he added.

Mizan did not say when ASL was arrested, and his case had not been reported before by the Iranian media or the human rights groups.

He was the 11th man found guilty of espionage for Israel who will be executed by Iran this year, with 10 of the executions carried out since the 12 -day war between the two countries in June.

Last week, Amnesty International and the Norwegian group Iran Human Rights said they had documented the executions of 1,000 people in Iran since January – already exceeding the total of 975 from last year.

According to Iran Human Rights, 50% of people executed this year have been accused of drug -related charges; 43% of murder; 3% of the security accusations of “armed rebellion against the state”, “corruption on earth” and “enmity against God”; and 1% espionage.

They included 28 women, 58 Afghan nationals and what amnesty described as a disproportionate number of people from minority communities.

The two groups said the executions were following systematically unfair trials that were spoiled by allegations of torture and other ill -treatment.

“Iran seems to carry out executions on an industrial scale that challenges all accepted standards for the protection of human rights,” warned the United Nations special rapporteurs in Iran, arbitrary executions, minority issues, torture and other cruel punishments, and human rights in Afghanistan, warned on Monday.

The suspension of 499 people for drug-related offenses was “particularly alarming”, they added.

Between 24 and 30 of these executions were recorded per year from 2018 to 2020, following an amendment to Iran’s law on the fight against illicit drugs. However, experts said the number had jumped since 2021, with a total of 503 reported last year.

International law restricts capital punishment for “most serious crimes”. “Drug offenses do not respect this threshold,” the experts warned.

Human rights in Iran reported on Sunday that more than 500 people found guilty of drug -related offenses were currently in the death corridor at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj only and that their sorrows were all at the “implementation stadium”.

The powerful constitutional surveillance dog of Iran, the Guardian Council, also currently examines a bill of spying bill which redefines “collaboration with hostile states”, which is liable to the death penalty, to include acts such as online communication, collaboration with foreign media and the so-called “ideological alignment”, according to the Office of Human Rights of the United Nations.

UN experts said that the international community could not “remain silent in the face of such systemic violations” and that states “must take concrete diplomatic measures to put pressure on Iran to stop this execution meat”.