The Iranian Human Rights (IHR) Commission released a new report, revealing shocking facts about the execution of women in Iran. The report, titled “Women and the Death Penalty in Iran: A Window into the Gendered Pathology of the Death Penalty,” examines the horrific dimensions and gender inequalities of this inhuman punishment.

According to the report, in 2024, two years after the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) uprising, the Islamic Republic recorded the highest annual number of executions of women in the last 17 years, with 31 women executed in Iranian prisons. The figure is unprecedented since the organization began recording executions in 2008. The report is based on statistics recorded and verified by the Iranian Human Rights Commission.

Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, Director of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, said on the occasion of the release of the report: “The execution of women in Iran not only shows the cruel and inhuman dimension of the death penalty, but also exposes the depth of gender discrimination and inequality in the country’s judicial system. We call on the international community not to remain silent in the face of these institutionalized injustices and gender apartheid in Iran and to increase their efforts to save those sentenced to death.”

Some statistics from the report are as follows:

At least 31 women were executed in 2024, the highest number of women executed in more than 15 years.

At least 241 women were executed between 2010 and 2024.

121 (50 percent) of the women executed were identified only by their first/last name or remained anonymous altogether.

114 women were convicted and executed for murder by qisas nafs (an Islamic term interpreted to mean "retaliation in kind”).

107 women were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

4 women were executed on security charges of moharebeh (enmity against God) and corruption on earth; one of them was Jewish and two were Kurdish political prisoners.

9 of the executed women were child wives.

70 percent of the women executed for intentional homicide were accused of murdering their spouse/partner.

Women from deprived regions such as Sistan and Baluchestan are disproportionately among the drug-related executions; this statistic reflects the intersection of systemic discrimination, poverty, and judicial bias.

Executions in the shadow of domestic violence

Many of the women executed for murder were victims of domestic violence or rape and were forced to do so. About 70 percent of them were accused of killing their spouses, while most were trapped in abusive marriages. However, Iran’s justice system rarely takes such circumstances into account in sentencing.

Poverty, isolation and homelessness

Women sentenced to death are often ostracized by their families and forced to endure inhumane prison conditions alone. Poverty and lack of literacy, particularly among ethnic minority women, prevent them from defending themselves effectively and increase their vulnerability.

Drug-related executions

Between 2010 and 2024, at least 107 women were executed for drug-related crimes. Legal reforms in 2017 initially led to a decline in executions, but the trend reached its highest level in nine years in 2024. Many of these women were forced into drug crimes under duress or were even unaware of their role in them. However, the Islamic Republic’s judiciary rarely takes these factors into account when issuing death sentences.

Death sentences continue to be issued to women

The results of a two-year study by the Iranian Human Rights Organization on the official media of the Islamic Republic show that at least 47 women were subject to death sentences between January 2022 and January 2024.

Women on death row: The silent voice of justice

An unknown number of women are still awaiting the death penalty, their lives at risk at any moment. Among them are Kurdish activists Warisha Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, who are on death row. Since the founding of the Islamic Republic, executions have been used as a tool of political repression and have helped the regime survive by creating fear. Tens of thousands of men and women have been executed after show trials, but the stories of women and the gendered dimensions of the death penalty remain hidden in the shadows.