Executions in Iran are on the rise: Human rights organizations are speaking out more loudly

The human rights organization Hengaw said that Iranian authorities executed four men without prior notification to their families and without allowing a final meeting.

Among those executed were two Kurdish political activists and two Iraqi nationals.

According to Iranian judicial authorities, the Kurdish activists Ramin Zaleh and Karim Maroufpour were convicted on charges of armed rebellion, endangering national security, and alleged ties to the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, which Tehran considers a terrorist organization.

However, human rights organizations dispute the legality of the proceedings, claiming that the trials were brief and unfair, and that the defendants were subjected to pressure and torture during detention. It is also alleged that they were denied adequate access to lawyers of their choice.

Hengaw also reported that the two Iraqi nationals were executed on allegations of espionage. Rights groups monitoring the situation say their families were not informed and that they had been held for months without fair judicial proceedings.

According to Iran Human Rights, the number of executions in Iran continues to rise, while Amnesty International has stated that more executions were carried out in Iran in 2025 than in any other country in the world. Human rights organizations warn that Iranian authorities are increasingly using charges of terrorism, rebellion, and espionage against political opponents and activists.