Human Rights Group Reports at Least 13 Executions in a Single Day as Iran’s Use of Death Penalty Rises
At least 13 inmates were put to death in prisons across Iran on Saturday morning after convictions on drug and murder charges, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.
According to the group, executions were carried out in facilities located in Khorramabad, Sanandaj, Dezful, Aligudarz, Kermanshah, Yasuj, Nahavand, Zahedan, Hamedan, and at Karaj Central Penitentiary.
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HRANA said it verified the identities of 10 of those executed: Ali Faza Khoshneshin, Farshad Sheikhi, Avin Sorkhi, Jafar Faryadi, Ali Sarlakabad, Sosha Moradi, Behzad Mashayekhi, Mohammad Ali Saeedloo, Morad Goli, and Abolfazl Naqvi.
The organization is tracking a steep rise in capital punishment in the Islamic Republic. HRANA recorded 2,063 executions between January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, which it said reflects a 119% jump from the year before.
In a report issued in December, the group noted that last year’s total marked the highest number of executions documented in more than 10 years.
The news of the executions follows massive protests last month in which some human rights groups have estimated that tens of thousands of protesters may have killed during a 48 hour period between January 8 and 9. Thousands of others were imprisoned by the regime.
