In a chilling demonstration of its tightening grip on power, the Iranian regime executed over 1,000 prisoners in 2024, marking a stark 16% increase from the previous year and a 30-year high, according to a report from the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This alarming surge, primarily concentrated in the latter half of the year under President Masoud Pezeshkian's leadership, coincides with escalating regional setbacks and deepening domestic crises for the regime.

NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi condemned these executions as a frantic attempt to quell growing public dissent, emphasizing that such brutal tactics only strengthen the resolve of those seeking to overthrow the current regime. She urged the international community to make any engagement with Iran contingent on halting executions and holding those responsible for decades of human rights abuses accountable.

Public executions in Iran are often witnessed by children. (Courtesy: Iran Human Rights)

Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, highlighted the regime's escalating repression in response to perceived external weakness. He noted a record number of executions in October, including political prisoners, non-violent offenders, and even hostages, underscoring the regime's desperate attempts to maintain control.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024. (REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)

The executed prisoners included vulnerable groups, such as 34 women, seven juvenile offenders, and 70 Afghan nationals – a 300% increase from the previous year. The NCRI also reported a disproportionate number of executions within the Baluchi minority, a group already identified by the UN as facing heightened discrimination in the wake of the 2022 protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death.

Protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. (AP/Middle East Images, File)

Among the executed was 69-year-old journalist Jamshid Sharmahd, a German citizen and US resident, who was kidnapped in Dubai and subjected to what has been widely criticized as an unfair trial. A letter from a political prisoner, Saeed Masouri, paints a grim picture of life inside Iranian prisons, describing an environment of constant fear and the relentless pace of executions.

The NCRI's report of 12 further executions on the first day of 2025 underscores the ongoing human rights crisis in Iran and the regime's unwavering commitment to brutal repression.