Human Rights Report by HRANA: At Least 883 Executions in Iran in 2024

On January 6, the news agency of the Iranian Human Rights Activists' Association published its annual human rights report for the year 2024, stating that the Islamic Republic executed at least 883 individuals this year. The report examines various aspects and analyzes human rights events in Iran from January 1, 2024, to December 20, 2024, noting that among the 883 executed, 772 were men and 26 were women, with 5 individuals under 18 years old at the time of their alleged crimes. According to the report, 51.87% of those executed were accused of drug-related offenses, 40.54% of murder, 2.49% of sexual crimes, 1.81% of unknown charges, 0.79% for corruption on earth, 0.79% for moharebeh (non-political), 0.57% for armed robbery, 0.57% for security-related charges (espionage, assassination, bombing), and 0.57% for political-security moharebeh-baqi. The prisons executing these sentences include Qezel Hesaar in Karaj and Adelabad in Shiraz, with the U.S. Treasury and State Department announcing sanctions against Qezel Hesaar on December 20. Amnesty International reported that the Islamic Republic was responsible for 74% of the world's executions in 2023. Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, described the rising execution statistics in Iran as 'concerning' in response to a UN human rights experts' report. HRANA noted that the highest number of human rights violation reports regarding the right to life was published in the months of Mehr and Aban, while the lowest was in Khordad. The report also highlighted that government forces arrested 2,749 citizens this year for civil, ideological, or political activities. This included 23 arrests from guilds, 240 from ethnic-national minorities, 85 from religious minorities, 1,585 for thought and expression, 34 concerning children, 11 for environmental issues, 2 for cultural matters, and 11 for workers. In total, over 33,442 months of prison sentences have been issued against government critics. HRANA emphasized that in a 'detailed and alarming' report prepared by the judiciary and the statistics center of the Iranian human rights activists, the judiciary, executive, and leadership institutions are the main actors in the power structure of the Islamic Republic that directly issue orders violating human rights. According to the report, out of 1,885 cases of 'collected reports with identifiable officials or institutions,' the judiciary accounted for 1,318 cases, the executive for 441 cases, and the leadership for 126 cases, making them major violators of human rights in Iran. Following them, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Fara Ja intelligence organization, the Revolutionary Guards, and various branches of the Tehran Revolutionary Court are also noted for significant human rights violations. The Islamic Republic's judiciary executed at least 10 prisoners, and 5 other prisoners committed suicide. The Islamic Republic executed 6 individuals in various prisons, while the 'No to Executions' campaign highlighted the transformation of Qezel Hesaar prison into a killing ground. At least 7 individuals were executed in Sari, Zahedan, and Isfahan. The increase in executions globally places the Iranian government at the top of the list. The Iran Human Rights Campaign reported an increase in executions of women in Iran. Qezel Hesaar prison in Karaj was sanctioned by the United States, and 9 prisoners were executed in Qezel Hesaar by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic. The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly condemned human rights violations in Iran.