Death penalty in Iran: an appalling number of executions in 2023
The 16th annual report on the death penalty by Iran Human Rights and ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty) provides an assessment and analysis of the death penalty trends in the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2023. It sets out the number of executions, the trend compared to previous years, the legislative framework and procedures, charges, geographic distribution, and a monthly breakdown of executions. Lists of the female and juvenile offenders executed in 2023 are also included in the tables.
The report also looks into the abolitionist movement within Iran, including the forgiveness movement and its contribution to reducing the use of the death penalty. It provides analysis on how the international community can contribute to limiting the scope of the death penalty in Iran.
The 2023 report is the result of hard work from Iran Human Rights members and supporters who took part in reporting, documenting, collecting, analysing, and writing its contents. Special gratitude is extended to Iran Human Rights sources inside Iran who incur significant risk by reporting on unannounced and secret executions in prisons of 30 different provinces. Due to the very difficult context, lack of transparency, and the obvious risks and limitations that human rights defenders face in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this report does not give a complete picture of the use of the death penalty in Iran. There are 46 reported executions which are not included in this report due to a lack of sufficient details or an inability to confirm cases through two different sources. However, it aims to provide the most complete and realistic figures possible in the present circumstances. The current report does not include suspicious deaths in custody, death row prisoners who died in prison before the executions, or those killed under torture.
ECPM supports the elaboration, editing process, publishing, and distribution of this report in the framework of its international advocacy work against the death penalty. The problems of transparency on the data and information about the death penalty in Iran should be overcome by a strong strategy of distribution and dissemination. The overall objectives of this report for Iran Human Rights and ECPM are to call attention to and publicise the facts, in order to change national and international views on the situation of the death penalty in Iran, the first executioner country in the world.