They fought back against their abusers. Iran’s response was to hang them.
A shocking new report by Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) reveals at least 31 Iranian women met their deaths at the hands of the state last year, marking the highest annual toll since the organization began tracking executions 17 years ago. These women weren’t charged with random acts of violence, as roughly 70% of them had killed male partners who subjected them to sustained abuse, rape, or psychological torture.
In Iran’s Islamic courts, a woman’s testimony carries half the weight of a man’s. Domestic violence and marital rape aren’t recognized as crimes, leaving abuse victims with no legal recourse before reaching their breaking point.
“The execution of women in Iran reveals not just the brutality of the death penalty, but the depth of systemic gender inequality in the judicial system,” IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam tells Iran International.
Since 1979, the Islamic Republic has used executions to maintain power and instill fear. Disturbingly, Iran is currently executing prisoners at a staggering rate of four per day, with UN investigation revealing that many face death based on forced confessions and without due process.
Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center has documented 930 total executions in 2024, up from 811 in 2023 and 579 in 2022. Women from marginalized ethnic communities such as those from Sistan and Baluchistan provinces are disproportionately represented among those hanged.
Yet even these harrowing statistics tell only part of the story as transparency around executions has been worsening as human right reports only 12% of women’s executions are officially announced by the regime, compared to 26% in recent years.
