The European Union and 30 countries including France, the United Kingdom and Canada, condemned this Wednesday the judicial executions of demonstrators in Iran, which have increased recently. These countries “condemn in the strongest terms the continuing executions of demonstrators and the use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran”, intended to “silence dissidents, intimidate communities and punish people exercising their fundamental rights”, wrote the signatories in a joint declaration.
“We call on the Iranian regime to immediately stop applying the death penalty and to release without delay all those arbitrarily detained,” they add, also asking Tehran to “listen to the voice of its people, who are demanding change.” “Seven months after the mass crimes committed against the Iranian people who stood up to demand justice and dignity, the regime continues to shed blood by increasing the number of executions. This unbearable and inhumane repression must stop,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot wrote on X.
At least 1,639 people executed in 2025
Last Wednesday, the UN said it was “alarmed” by the increase in executions in Iran, with at least 56 people put to death for reasons of national security since the first hangings linked to protests at the start of the year. “More than a hundred other people risk being executed on similar charges,” warned the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, not counting those who risk execution for other reasons.
Executions have increased in the country since the start of the war triggered on February 28 by an American-Israeli offensive against Iran, many of those executed having been condemned for their participation in the demonstrations which began at the end of December. The protest movement, initially triggered by the high cost of living, quickly transformed into large anti-government demonstrations, culminating on January 8 and 9.
The government acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel. NGOs based abroad say the repression has left thousands dead. According to NGOs, including Amnesty International, Iran is the country that uses the death penalty the most after China. In 2025, Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people, a record since 1989, according to data from the NGOs Iran Human Rights, based in Norway, and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM).
