Iran Escalates Executions: First Woman Hanged and Foreign Spies Targeted

Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people in 2025, the highest number of yearly executions recorded in at least 15 years, according to Amnesty International. This figure represents a significant increase in the use of the death penalty amid ongoing crackdowns on dissent following nationwide protests that began in 2022.

The surge in executions includes the planned hanging of a woman identified as the first female protester to receive a death sentence for her participation in anti-government demonstrations. Her case has drawn international attention as part of a broader pattern of judicial actions targeting individuals involved in the 2022–2023 protest movement, which was sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

Human rights organizations, including the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, have expressed alarm over the rise in executions and reported instances where members of the Baha’i religious minority were accused of being “Zionist spies” and arrested during house raids, with their property confiscated. The Mission noted that the current execution rate is the highest since 2015.

Amnesty International has called for an immediate moratorium on executions in Iran and urged other states to pressure Iranian authorities to halt what it describes as a “horrifying assault on the right to life.” The organization emphasized that the 2025 execution toll surpasses any yearly total recorded in the past decade and a half.

Judicial proceedings in Iran related to protest activities have frequently involved charges such as “corruption on earth” and “enmity against God,” which carry mandatory death sentences under Islamic penal law. Trials have been criticized by international observers for lacking due process, including limited access to legal representation and reliance on coerced confessions.

The Iranian government has maintained that its judicial actions are lawful and necessary to maintain national security, particularly in response to what it describes as foreign-backed unrest. However, these claims have not been independently verified by international monitoring groups, which continue to document widespread concerns about the fairness and transparency of proceedings.