In a startling disclosure by the UN Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, it was revealed on Monday that Iran has executed over 1,000 individuals in 2025 alone, a figure that starkly contrasts with its prior commitments to human rights norms. This surge in executions, averaging more than nine per day in recent weeks, is described by the UN as being executed at an "industrial scale," blatantly disregarding the accepted standards of human rights protection.

This escalation comes despite the 2017 Amendment to Iran’s Anti-Narcotics Law, which was supposed to curb the application of the death penalty for lower-level drug offenses, offering a mechanism for commuting many death sentences to life imprisonment. However, executions, particularly for drug-related offenses, have not only continued but increased dramatically since 2020. In 2024 alone, 503 drug-related executions were recorded, accounting for more than 50 percent of all executions in the country.

The UN experts have pointed out a particularly alarming trend: the disproportionate targeting of minorities, especially the Baluch ethnic minority. The Baluch, who make up only 2-6 percent of Iran’s population, accounted for at least 17 percent of the drug-related executions in 2024. This targeting raises serious concerns about ethnic discrimination and injustice within the execution processes.

Iran's approach to capital punishment also puts it at odds with international human rights treaties to which it is a signatory. Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) emphasizes that every human being has an inherent right to life and restricts the application of the death penalty to the most serious crimes, primarily those involving intentional killing. Despite being a state party to the ICCPR, Iran’s rampant use of the death penalty for drug-related offenses starkly contradicts these international obligations.

The international community has cast a critical eye on Iran not only for its handling of the death penalty but also for other serious allegations, including breaches of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and failures to address accountability for acts of torture and killings during protests in 2022. These issues collectively contribute to a growing concern over Iran's commitment to global human rights standards and international law.

As the world watches, the calls for Iran to align its domestic policies with international human rights laws are growing louder, urging a reconsideration of its use of capital punishment under the shadow of such stark international scrutiny.