Iran executed more than 900 people in 2024, which is the most in nearly a decade, according to a new U.N. report on Tuesday.

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Karah Rucker Anchor

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Iran executed over 900 people in 2024, most in nearly a decade: Report

Jan 7

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Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Michael Edwards (Video Editor)

Iran reportedly executed more than 900 people last year, including dozens of women and five juveniles. It’s the most people the country has killed in nearly a decade, according to numbers compiled by the United Nations Human Rights Office.

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The country hung more than 30 women. Some of those women were reportedly convicted of killing their husbands after fending off rapes or being forced into marriage.

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Human rights officials said one of the executed women strangled her husband after discovering him and his friends raping her young daughter.

Government-sanctioned killings

The U.N. report revealed Iran executed around 40 people in a single week in December 2024.

Most of the government-sanctioned killings were for drug-related offenses. Still, Iran also executed activists and people connected to the 2022 protests, which were sparked by a 22-year-old woman’s death in police custody.

Iran reportedly executed nearly 90 people in August 2024 after the presidential election, which included some individuals sentenced to death for political and security-related charges.

The U.N. Human Rights chief called the numbers “deeply disturbing” and urged Iran to stop all further executions with the ultimate goal of ending the death penalty.

Violating international law

A U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson said the office compiled the figures using data from several organizations, including Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (IHRANA), Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw, a Kurdish human rights group.

IHR said this is the most women it has seen executed since it began tracking numbers 17 years ago.

IHRANA said it found Iran killed five juveniles. Capital punishment for juveniles is a violation of international law.

According to human rights organization Amnesty International, Iran accounted for nearly 75% of all executions globally in 2023.

The group said the numbers exclude China, which it believes executes thousands of people each year, but whose death penalty data is classified.

Tags: Beijing, China, Crime, Death, Death row executions, Executions, Homicide, Human Rights, Iran, Iran Protests, Islamic Republic of Iran, Middle East, Murder, One-China, People’s Republic of China, Sex abuse, Sexual Assault, South China Sea, Tehran, United Nations

[KARAH RUCKER]

MORE THAN 900 PEOPLE WERE EXECUTED IN IRAN LAST YEAR INCLUDING DOZENS OF WOMEN AND FIVE JUVENILES.

THE MOST PEOPLE EXECUTED IN NEARLY A DECADE.

THAT’S ACCORDING TO NUMBERS COMPILED BY THE U-N HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE.

SOME OF THE MORE THAN 30 WOMEN HANGED WERE REPORTEDLY CONVICTED OF MURDERING THEIR HUSBANDS AFTER FENDING OFF RAPES OR BEING FORCED INTO MARRIAGE.

HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICIALS SAY ONE OF THE WOMEN EXECUTED STRANGLED HER HUSBAND AFTER SHE CAME HOME AND FOUND HIM AND HIS FRIENDS RAPING HER YOUNG DAUGHTER.

THE U-N REPORT ALSO SHOWS AROUND 40 PEOPLE WERE EXECUTED IN A SINGLE WEEK LAST MONTH.

MOST OF THE GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED KILLINGS WERE FOR DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES, BUT ACTIVISTS AND PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE 2022 PROTESTS, WHICH WERE SPARKED BY A 22-YEAR-OLD WOMAN’S DEATH IN POLICE CUSTODY, WERE ALSO EXECUTED.

IRAN REPORTEDLY EXECUTED NEARLY 90 PEOPLE IN AUGUST AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION INCLUDING SOME FOR POLITICAL AND SECURITY-RELATED CHARGES.

THE U-N HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF CALLED THE NUMBERS “DEEPLY DISTURBING” AND URGED IRAN TO STOP ALL FURTHER EXECUTIONS WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ENDING THE DEATH PENALTY.

THE U-N HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE SAYS THE FIGURES WERE COMPILED USING DATA FROM SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING IRAN’S HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS NEWS AGENCY, IRAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND A KURDISH HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP.

I-H-R SAYS THIS IS THE MOST WOMEN ITS SEEN EXECUTED SINCE IT BEGAN TRACKING THE NUMBERS 17 YEARS AGO.

H-R-A-N-A ALSO SAYS IT FOUND A HANDFUL OF JUVENILES WERE EXECUTED IN IRAN.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR JUVENILES VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW.

ACCORDING TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, IRAN ACCOUNTED FOR NEARLY 75 PERCENT OF ALL EXECUTIONS GLOBALLY IN 2023.

THE GROUP SAID THESE NUMBERS EXCLUDE CHINA, WHICH IT BELIEVES EXECUTES THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EACH YEAR, BUT WHOSE DEATH PENALTY DATA IS CLASSIFIED.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M KARAH RUCKER.

Iran executed over 900 people in 2024, most in nearly a decade: Report

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Untracked Bias

Government-sanctioned killings

Violating international law

Bias Distribution