According to shocking reports from both inside and outside the country, the global use of the death penalty has reached a devastating 44-year high, escalating to levels of state-sanctioned violence not seen since 1981. At the absolute epicenter of this grim milestone is the Iranian regime, which has effectively weaponized capital punishment into an instrument of mass political terror.
For 22 years, we have stood on the front lines, campaigning relentlessly to expose these atrocities, protect the vulnerable, and halt the gallows. Today, as the catastrophic numbers coming out of Iran shatter historical records, our mission has never been more urgent.
Shocking Statistics, A War Against the People
Newly released global statistics paint a horrifying picture of a regime waging a literal war against its own citizens. These chilling figures reveal a calculated strategy by the mullahs’ regime to instill paralyzing fear throughout society and preemptively crush nationwide uprisings like the one witnessed in January 2026. The dictatorship resorts to this extreme violence because it is acutely aware of its own vulnerability: the economic situation has deteriorated past breaking point, inflation has soared above 70%, and the financial pressure on Iranian society has become utterly unbearable.
Show Trials and Torture
In a deeply alarming move, the head of the judiciary recently called for an acceleration of executions. Reports smuggled out of the country indicate that “confessions” are systematically extracted under brutal physical and psychological torture. Tragically, this machinery of death does not spare youth; the cases of 16-year-old Diana and 17-year-old Shervin stand as harrowing examples of this cruelty.
Furthermore, the regime’s continued reliance on public executions serves no genuine penological or criminological purpose. Its sole intent is to intimidate entire communities, project power, and terrorize the population into absolute surrender.
We Say: Stop Executions in Iran!
Wherever there is a wave of oppression, there must also be a wave of resistance. Founded in 2004 by Iranian exiles in Switzerland, Verein Welle has spent more than two decades acting as a vital lifeline for those trapped in the shadow of Iran’s penal system.
“Silence is the executioner’s greatest ally. When the international community turns its back, the regime tightens the noose. Our task at Verein Welle is to keep the world’s attention permanently focused on Iran’s prisons.”
Operating from Zurich, our dedicated team, volunteers, and deep underground networks engage in a multi-pronged defense of human rights:
- Direct Intervention to Save Lives: Through our targeted projects—including our flagship initiative, “Save Lives of Iranian Women in Jail”—we actively intervene in critical cases. By providing emergency legal support, funding defense resources, and mobilizing international political pressure, we have successfully managed to stall and halt scheduled executions.
- Exposing Secret Crimes: The Iranian regime relies heavily on secrecy; the vast majority of their executions are carried out in the dark and are never officially announced by state media. Verein Welle meticulously documents these unverified killings, collects evidence of torture, and collaborates with international human rights bodies to ensure these state crimes are exposed to the world.
Join our cause. Together, we can break the silence. #StopExecutionsInIran
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