Let's save lives …

October 10: World Day Against the Death Penalty

Why Does the Mullahs’ Regime Use Executions to Suppress Uprisings in Iran, and How Can International Campaigns Save Lives

Every year on October 10, the World Day Against the Death Penalty brings together human rights organizations, civil society activists, lawyers, and citizens around the world to defend the right to life and advocate for the universal abolition of capital punishment.

Executions in Iran are not merely the violent end of a human life. In many political cases, they form part of a deliberate strategy by the Mullahs’ Regime to intimidate society, silence dissent, and prevent new waves of resistance.

The regime wants every death sentence to be carried out in the minds of thousands of others before the actual execution takes place. It seeks to force families into silence, keep young people off the streets, and make the cost of opposition appear so unbearable that no one dares to protest.

Yet the reality of Iran today raises a fundamental question about this strategy: If executions are meant to force society into submission, why do new generations continue to rise for freedom after decades of repression? Why do young Iranian women and men refuse to abandon their demands despite witnessing imprisonment, torture, bullets, and the gallows?

The answer lies both in the nature of the regime’s repression and in a deeper transformation within Iranian society:

Fear still exists, but it no longer automatically produces obedience.

Executions: A Tool of State Terror and Political Repression

For decades, the Mullahs’ Regime in Iran has used the death penalty to eliminate opponents, create a climate of fear, and demonstrate its power.

This policy is not limited to a single period or wave of protests. From the mass executions of political prisoners in the 1980s to the repression of the 2009 and 2019 protests and the 2022 Women, Resistance, Freedom movement, capital punishment has remained a central feature of the regime’s record of repression.

In recent years, however, concerns have intensified that death sentences are being used directly to suppress popular protests and nationwide uprisings.

Charges such as moharebeh (waging war against God), efsad-e fel-arz (corruption on Earth), and vaguely defined national security offenses can become instruments for eliminating political opponents and protesters, particularly when fair trial guarantees are violated, access to independent legal representation is restricted, and alleged confessions extracted under torture are used as evidence for convictions.

Reports from international human rights organizations demonstrate that the danger extends far beyond the execution itself.

Arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, denial of family contact, and uncertainty about prisoners’ whereabouts also contribute to the climate of intimidation.

Under these circumstances, executions become a public message: the regime seeks to demonstrate that even challenging the existing political order can cost a person their life.

What Does the United Nations Say About Executions in Iran?

Recent United Nations warnings make clear that concerns about the political use of capital punishment in Iran are not limited to human rights activists or opponents of the regime.

On August 5, 2026, Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed alarm over the rising number of executions and death sentences in Iran.

According to his statement, since March 19, 2026, at least 56 people had been executed on national security-related charges, including 27 individuals whose cases were linked to protests earlier that year.

He also warned that more than 100 others remained at risk of execution.

Türk explicitly stated that capital punishment continued to be used to instill fear among the population and suppress dissent.

He called for an immediate halt to executions, progress toward the abolition of the death penalty, and respect for fundamental fair trial and due process guarantees.

On September 10, 2026, Human Rights Watch and the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran also warned about what they described as an ongoing unlawful execution campaign against protesters.

According to their joint report, at least 59 men were executed between March 18 and the end of August 2026 on politically motivated and vaguely defined national security charges following grossly unfair trials.

At least 29 of those executed had been arrested in connection with the December 2025 and January 2026 protests. Some were only 18 or 19 years old.

These figures reveal a disturbing picture of the scale of repression.

Their significance, however, goes beyond the number of lives lost. They expose a broader pattern: the use of capital punishment to punish protest, terrorize society, and prevent future uprisings.

Why Are Executions No Longer as Effective in Deterring Resistance?

The regime wants people to believe that resistance is futile.

Yet the experiences of Iran’s younger generation reveal a crucial distinction: being afraid is not the same as surrendering.

Young Iranians demanding freedom, human dignity, and fundamental rights in streets, universities, workplaces, and across social media have encountered a reality that has undermined the regime’s official promises.

They have not learned about repression merely through historical accounts. They have experienced it in their daily lives.

Many have come to recognize that even remaining silent does not necessarily guarantee safety, a secure future, or a dignified life.

Under such circumstances, executions may increase public anger rather than produce obedience.

A family that loses a loved one can become a powerful voice demanding justice. The name of a prisoner sentenced to death can cross national borders and become a symbol of resistance.

Memorial gatherings, families’ demands for accountability, and testimonies from political prisoners can also create new bonds among individuals and social movements.

This does not mean that fear has lost all its power.

Executions still destroy lives, plunge families into grief, and can discourage many people from openly participating in protests.

But the regime cannot guarantee that this fear will produce its desired political outcome: the permanent silencing of society.

The courage of Iran’s younger generation does not lie in being unafraid of death. It lies in refusing to abandon the demand for freedom despite the danger.

Why Does the Regime Control Bodies, Burial Sites, and Mourning Ceremonies?

The regime’s treatment of the families of executed prisoners reveals another dimension of its strategy of intimidation.

Reports concerning political executions in Iran have documented cases involving secrecy over burial locations or dates, families being denied information, and restrictions imposed on memorial ceremonies.

For example, in a report published on March 31, 2026, Amnesty International warned about the secret executions of four dissidents and the imminent risk of execution facing seven additional protesters and dissidents.

In an update issued on April 2, 2026, Amnesty International also documented the execution of Amirhossein Hatami, an 18-year-old protester.

Why are such restrictions imposed?

One plausible explanation is the regime’s fear that mourning could become collective protest and a demand for justice.

When families and communities gather, the death of a prisoner is no longer merely a private tragedy. It becomes a public question about responsibility, accountability, justice, and political legitimacy.

The regime attempts to control not only the prisoner but also the narrative surrounding their death.

Yet such efforts at concealment can deepen public distrust and strengthen families’ determination to uncover the truth.

When even the right to know where a loved one has been buried or to hold a peaceful memorial service is restricted, the issue extends far beyond the punishment of an individual.

It becomes a violation of families’ rights and fundamental human dignity.

Arghavan Fallahi: Why Does Suspending a Death Sentence Matter?

The case of Arghavan Fallahi, an Iranian female political prisoner, offers an important example of why sustained public attention and legal pressure matter.

According to IranWire, on September 24, 2026, Iran’s Supreme Court accepted her request for a retrial, resulting in the suspension of her death sentence pending further judicial proceedings.

This decision does not mean that Arghavan Fallahi has been acquitted or that the danger to her life has permanently ended.

Her case must be reconsidered, and serious concerns about her future remain.

ss, even a temporary suspension of a death sentence carries profound humanitarian and political significance.

It means an opportunity to remain alive, additional time for legal defense, and another chance to prevent an execution.

Such developments should not be examined in isolation from the sustained efforts of families, lawyers, human rights defenders, independent media, and international campaigns.

Without a complete review of the judicial process and the evidence in each case, it would be inaccurate to claim that any particular campaign alone caused a death sentence to be suspended.

However, sustained public and international pressure can increase the political cost of an execution, draw the attention of international institutions, and make it harder for authorities to ignore an individual case.

The suspension of Arghavan Fallahi’s death sentence should not mark the end of the campaign.

Instead, it should encourage continued efforts to secure the reversal of her death sentence, guarantee a fair trial, and ensure her freedom from the threat of repression.

How Can International Campaigns Help Save Lives in Iran?

A question is sometimes raised: can a protest organized by a civil society association in Switzerland, a letter from a member of the European Parliament, or a demonstration in Geneva genuinely influence decisions made by the authorities in Tehran?

The answer is that international pressure rarely produces results through a single action or guaranteed mechanism.

Its potential impact comes from the accumulation of coordinated efforts.

First, documentation and public awareness can prevent the names and stories of political prisoners from disappearing from public memory.

Second, legal correspondence, urgent appeals, and engagement with United Nations mechanisms can bring individual cases under international scrutiny.

Third, parliamentary initiatives, media coverage, and intervention by human rights organizations can increase the diplomatic and reputational costs of political executions.

Fourth, coordination among families, lawyers, civil society organizations, and international solidarity campaigns can make sustained monitoring and advocacy possible.

The importance of these efforts becomes even clearer when examining execution statistics from previous years.

According to a United Nations Secretary-General’s report on the human rights situation in Iran, at least 975 people were executed in 2024, representing a 17% increase compared with 2023 and the highest annual figure reported since 2015 up to that point.

During the first six months of 2025, at least 612 executions were reported, representing a 119% increase compared with the same period in the previous year.

These figures demonstrate that temporary or isolated international pressure has not produced a lasting reversal of the regime’s execution policies.

An effective response therefore cannot be limited to a single statement, demonstration, or wave of media attention.

International campaigns against executions in Iran must be sustained, coordinated, evidence-based, and focused on specific cases.

Such campaigns should address everything from the imminent risk of individual executions to the broader demand for the abolition of the death penalty.

What Is Our Responsibility?

Opposing executions is not simply opposing a particular form of punishment.

It is a defense of the right to life, the right to a fair trial, and human dignity.

No government should be allowed to use death sentences to turn peaceful protest into an offense punishable by death or to deprive families of their right to mourn their loved ones.

For civil society organizations and human rights activists outside Iran, this responsibility carries practical meaning.

They must keep the names of prisoners facing execution visible, verify and share information responsibly, cooperate with families and credible human rights organizations, and call on the governments of the countries where they operate to take a clear and meaningful stand against politically motivated executions in Iran.

No individual campaign can guarantee that every execution will be stopped.

But silence is not without consequences.

Every case that receives sustained attention, every name rescued from obscurity, and every opportunity created for legal defense can make a life-saving difference.

The Mullahs’ Regime uses executions to spread fear. Our response must be to expand solidarity, raise awareness, and sustain international action.

The courage of Iran’s young people reminds us that repression, although capable of taking human lives, cannot necessarily destroy the aspiration for freedom.

Our responsibility outside Iran is to ensure that these voices are not left alone and that no political prisoner is taken to the gallows in silence.

No to executions. No to the death penalty as a tool of political repression. Yes to the right to life, freedom, and justice.