Overview

• Iran Human Rights reports at least 1,000 executions so far this year, including 64 in the past week, surpassing last year’s 975 and marking the highest total since its tracking began in 2008.
• The NGO calls the surge a mass killing campaign intended to intimidate society and says the pattern should be investigated by the UN as crimes against humanity, a concern echoed by the UN rights office.
• About half of the executions are for drug offenses, 43% for murder, 3% for security charges, and 1% for espionage, with at least 10 people executed for allegedly spying for Israel.
• Rights advocates cite coerced confessions and unfair trials, highlighting the September 17 execution of Babak Shahbazi, which Amnesty International condemned as grossly unfair and marred by torture allegations.
• IHR says its tally is a minimum due to opaque reporting and restrictions, noting executions are carried out by hanging and usually inside prisons.