Amnesty International: Iran's Executions Surge, Global Record Hits 45-Year High
Amnesty International reports that Iran executed over 2,150 people in 2025, a "staggering" increase that marks the country's highest number since 1981 and pushed the global total for the same year to a new peak. This surge is attributed to Tehran's intensified use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression following conflict with Israel.
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- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 13:10
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(Central News Agency, Paris, 18th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) Amnesty International announced today that Iran executed over 2,150 people last year, a "staggering" increase that not only broke the country's record since 1981 but also pushed the global number of death penalty executions to the highest level for the same year. According to Agence France-Presse, Amnesty International has confirmed that at least 2,707 people were executed globally in 2025, with 2,159 of those cases occurring in Iran, a figure more than double that of 2024. The UK-based Amnesty International stated that, as is customary, this year's published total does not include cases from China, as the relevant data is considered a "state secret" by Beijing, and China is the world's top executioner. According to Amnesty, the at least 2,707 cases of execution last year were spread across countries including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Yemen, Singapore, and the United States, a figure that represents an increase of over two-thirds from the previous year. The sharp increase in executions in Iran is attributed to the Tehran authorities "intensifying the use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression and control" following the outbreak of conflict with Israel in June 2025. Amnesty and other human rights organizations have pointed out that following protests in January of this year and the declaration of war against the United States and Israel, the Tehran authorities have once again expanded the use of capital punishment. The organization said that the number of executions carried out in Iran in 2025 set a new record for the country since 1981, and also a global record for the same year. The report also showed that the United States was the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2025, with Florida's executions increasing to an "unprecedented" 19, bringing the national total to 47, a new high since 2009. In addition, Singapore carried out 17 executions in 2025, the most since 2003. (Compiled by: Shih Shih) 1150518