Iran executed 241 prisoners in October: Watchdog

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran executed 241 prisoners in October, mainly on drug-related, murder, and political charges, marking a nearly 50 percent increase compared to the same month the year before, a human rights watchdog said on Sunday.

“In the past month alone, at least 241 prisoners were executed in prisons across the Islamic Republic of Iran. This figure represents an increase of at least 80 cases — or 49.5 percent — compared to October 2024,” stated the Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization.

Thirty-seven of those executed were Kurds, accounting for about 15 percent of the total.

According to the watchdog, eight people were executed on politically related charges, seven of whom were accused of spying for Israel.

“It is noteworthy that out of the 241 prisoners executed in October, only 10 cases - representing four percent of the total - were announced by official Iranian sources and judiciary-affiliated websites,” noted the watchdog. “The death sentences of 13 prisoners were carried out secretly, without notifying their families or granting them the right to a final visit.”

The number of executions carried out by Iranian authorities has risen dramatically in recent years, drawing criticism from human rights monitors.

“At least 1,000 executions have been documented since 1 January 2025 to date. Due to Iran’s lack of transparency, the actual number is likely to be significantly higher,” UN experts said in a report in September.

They called on Tehran to immediately establish a “moratorium” on use of the death penalty.

In a briefing on Friday, the UN’s Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran said that executions in Iran are at the “highest recorded level since 2015.”

“If executions form part of a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population, as a matter of policy, then those responsible – including the judges who impose capital punishment – may be held accountable for crimes against humanity,” said the mission’s rights expert Max du Plessis.