Resumption of Mass Executions in Iraq
On December 24, 2023, 13 Iraqi prisoners were executed at Nasiriyah Central Prison, ending a three-year pause in mass executions. The event, described by witnesses as a “secret execution,” carried out without prior notice to families or legal counsel, represented the first such operation since November 2020. Nasiriyah is the sole facility in Iraq where executions are carried out; it has a history of high-volume executions, including two separate mass executions of 41 and 38 individuals, respectively, in 2017.
The trend accelerated in 2024. On September 25, 21 individuals, including one woman, were hanged in Nassiriya on terrorism-related charges. This single event was identified as the largest mass execution reported that year. As of October 1, 2024, the Cornell Center for the Death Penalty Worldwide recorded at least 94 executions in Iraq, a figure that vastly exceeds the at least 16 executions reported for the entirety of 2023. Approximately 8,000 prisoners are currently reported to be on death row, with the majority facing terrorism charges.
Legal and human rights organizations have criticized the procedural integrity of these cases. Human Rights Watch has noted that Iraqi authorities have systematically violated due process rights, including the right to legal representation and family contact within 24 hours of arrest. Terrorism trials in Iraq have been characterized as rushed and reliant on forced confessions, lacking the participation of victims. The European Union expressed “deep concern” on September 27 regarding the increased application of capital punishment, specifically citing cases involving multiple executions in a single day.
Iran’s Record Execution Rate and Public Hangings
In Iran, the pace of executions has reached unprecedented levels. Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) recorded 72 executions in September 2024 alone, bringing the annual total to 478. A significant portion of these, 35 in September, were for drug-related crimes, while another 35 were for qisas, or retribution-in-kind, typically applied to intentional killings.
The post-election period has seen a sharp increase in activity. Since President Masoud Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30, at least 179 executions have been carried out, averaging nearly three per day. Transparency remains a critical issue, with only five of the 72 executions recorded in September confirmed by official state sources.
The use of public executions has also re-emerged. On September 30, two men were publicly hanged in Khomein for armed robbery, a crime they committed in December 2020. They were sentenced under the charges of moharebeh (enmity against god) and efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth). This was the second public execution of 2024, following a hanging on August 26, and compares to seven public hangings recorded in 2023. IHRNGO has condemned public hangings as inhumane, cruel, and degrading acts that victimize both the defendant and the general public.
Link to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” Movement
The surge in executions in Iran coincides with the second anniversary of the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, who died in custody in September 2022, an event that sparked the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement. The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran released an update on September 13 calling for a halt to all protest-related executions and a moratorium on the death penalty. The mission stated that state authorities have increasingly invoked capital punishment against women activists and those who expressed solidarity with the movement.
IHRNGO has recorded at least 1,425 executions in the two years since Amini’s death, a figure nearly double the number recorded in the two years prior. In response to the anniversary, security was tightened across Iranian cities, and Amini’s family was barred from leaving their home or visiting her burial site. Meanwhile, 34 female prisoners in Evin prison announced a hunger strike in commemoration of the anniversary and the ongoing “No Execution Tuesday” movement.
International legal bodies, including the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, have urged both governments to declare immediate moratoriums. They argue that the lack of fair trial safeguards and the opacity of the judicial processes in both countries undermine the legitimacy of the death penalty and violate fundamental principles of human dignity.
