Iran carried out 161 executions in October: Watchdog

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran executed at least 161 people in October, the highest monthly total in 2024, a human rights organization said on Saturday. 

The number of executions in October was an “83-case (106.5%) increase from September,” said Hengaw Human Rights Organization. 

Hengaw has confirmed the identities of 149 of the people who were executed and is investigating the other 12.

Another monitor, the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), reported 145 executions in October. 

Iranian authorities do not release official statistics about executions and death sentences. Human rights advocates and observers gathering data report that the numbers have been steadily increasing over the past several years.

So far this year, Iran has executed over 600 people, more than 120 of them were Kurds, based on the reports of Hengaw. Kurds accounted for 22 of those executed in October.

“The executions in October included at least 22 Kurdish prisoners, 21 Turkish prisoners, 15 Baloch prisoners, 12 Lur prisoners, 5 Arab prisoners, 3 Gilak prisoners, and 2 Turkmen prisoners,” Hengaw stated.

The death penalty has been used to suppress minority groups, like Kurds and Baluchis, who were active in the Jin Jiyan Azadi protests in 2022.

Iran carried out two high profile death sentences in October - German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmahd and someone who was a minor at the time of the crime.

Iran ranks second globally for known executions, according to Amnesty International.

“In 2023, executions soared, with at least 853 people executed across the country, marking a 48% increase from 2022 and a 172% increase from 2021,” Amnesty reported in April.

In 2023, Iran executed 144 Kurdish prisoners, a significant rise from 2022, when it executed 52 Kurds, Hengaw reported in December.