Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) has presented its report on the human rights situation during Raisi’s government based on the registered statistics at the Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) center.The statistics presented in this report are based on extensive research. The details of the executed prisoners are kept confidential by the Iran HRM (Iran Human Rights Monitor) center. However, it should be emphasized that the actual number is significantly higher, as over 90% of executions in Iran are carried out covertly.
In this report, we aim to explore executions Under Raisi’s government in the following areas
- Total Number of Executions
- Executions of women
- Execution of political prisoners
- Secret Executions and Publicly Announced Executions
Total Number of Executions
Ebrahim Raisi began his presidency on August 5, 2021, and until May 19, 2024, when he was killed in a plane crash, a total of 1,877 prisoners were executed during his tenure. Executions escalated significantly during this period. In 2022, executions saw a 60% growth compared to 2021, and in 2023, there was a 47% growth compared to 2022.
In 2024, Raisi set a new record for the execution rate in Iran. Every six hours, one prisoner was executed, which means that four prisoners were sent to the gallows daily. Raisi extensively employed execution as the most ruthless and inhumane form of punishment during his government.
Executions of women
In Raisi’s government, at least 60 women were executed. After coming into power, Raisi expedited the execution of women, and within a span of five months, from August to the end of December 2021, he executed nine female prisoners. The increasing trend of executing women can be observed in the overall execution statistics each year.
In 2023, there was a 66% growth compared to 2022, and in 2024, within five months, 10 women were executed, averaging two executions per month. In the previous year (2023), Iran also claimed the title of being the largest executioner of women in the world, with at least 25 women executed.
Execution of political prisoners
During Raisi’s presidency, 37 political prisoners were executed. Among them were participants of the nationwide protests in 2022, who were unjustly and hastily sentenced to death. Political prisoners were denied the right to choose their own legal representation and were deprived of even the most basic prisoner rights.
Moreover, they faced severe psychological torture in prisons designated for imminent execution. Khosrow Besharat, a political prisoner of conscience, was kept in solitary confinement for 15 days, awaiting the day and hour of his execution. Ultimately, after enduring prolonged torture, he was executed on May 15, 2024.
Secret Executions and Publicly Announced Executions
87% of the executions during Raisi’s presidency were carried out secretly and without media coverage, with the Iranian judiciary not announcing them. 1,632 prisoners were executed secretly during this period. Only 13% of the executions were reported in the media, with only 245 prisoners being officially reported by the Iranian judiciary and state media. Most of the executions are obtained through independent media outlets and communication with the inside of prisons.
The Iranian government deliberately boycotts and censors news about the executions, justifying itself for not being accountable to the international community.
Call on International Human Rights Authorities
Sara Hossain, Chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, on May 27, 2024, in response to Raisi’s death, is as follows: “The death of Raisi should not lead to the forgetting of human rights violations in Iran.” The Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM) also calls upon the United Nations, the European Union, and member countries not to remain silent in the face of Raisi’s crimes. Raisi is one of the suspects involved in the mass killings in the summer of 1988, and he has been overseeing decades of murder and violence in Iran. Denying Raisi’s crimes is a denial of the most fundamental human rights and a violation of democratic standards.
