NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Iranian regime has been described as engaging in an “unprecedented execution spree” by the United Nations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has stated that Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out more than 1,000 executions since the start of the year.
With up to nine executions per day at the time of writing its report, OHCHR said the victims were mainly accused of murder and drug-related crimes.
In an effort to raise global awareness of their plight, some 1,500 Iranian prisoners sentenced to death in Ward 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison began a hunger strike on October 13. Among them were 17 members of the Iranian dissident organization Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).
UN ELECTS CHINA AND IRAN TO POSITIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: “WITHOUT SHAME”
A woman lays flowers for victims of executions in Iran during the rally in Paris, France, May 13, 2025. (Siavosh Hosseini/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) told Fox News Digital that Iran had already executed two MEK members on July 27 and had not yet returned their bodies to their families.
The hunger strike extended to Wards 1 and 4 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, as well as the infamous Evin Prison. The NCRI claims that prison officials attempted to break the strike and shared images of Ward 3 prisoners eating food to “falsely claim that there is no hunger strike in Ward 2.”
In an exclusive statement provided to Fox News Digital, the striking prisoners said: “Our patience is running out in the face of this endless oppression and the deaths of prisoners and young people. Every day and every week, some of our cellmates are sent to the gallows, and many of us spend our nights in the nightmare of death. These are the most distressing moments of our lives and that of our families. abolition of the death penalty in Iran.”
The NCRI told Fox News Digital that executions have increased in recent days, with 38 executions taking place between October 13 and 15. This led to the “total number of executions during the 14 and a half months of [Masoud] Pezeshkian” to “an unprecedented record of 2,008 prisoners.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Tehran. Iran has come under international scrutiny following a surge in executions this year. (Iranian Presidency / Document/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Iran executes 6 prisoners accused of carrying out attacks for Israel
Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI, called for “immediate action from the United Nations, members of the UN Security Council, the European Union and international human rights organizations to end this horrible nightmare in Iran under the rule of criminal mullahs.”
Iranian prisoners have called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to speak out and intervene on their behalf.
Fox News Digital asked whether the US State Department was considering additional sanctions against Iranian leaders in response to the wave of executions. A State Department spokesperson said: “We strongly condemn the Iranian regime’s use of executions to kill people who have exercised their basic human rights, including peacefully protesting for a better life. »
Iranian members of the diaspora, activists, gathered in front of the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin during the “United Against Executions in Iran” protest, January 27, 2024. Organized by the group Echo Iran, the protest condemned the increase in death sentences by the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Echo Iran/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“For decades, Iranians have been subjected to torture and show trials that resulted in executions and other harsh punishments, often with these forced confessions as the only evidence presented against them. We will continue to hold the Iranian regime accountable, ensuring that it faces serious consequences for its heinous actions,” the spokesperson continued.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, told Fox News Digital: “We strongly oppose and continue to condemn the use of the death penalty in Iran and everywhere else in the world. »
Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Council drew widespread condemnation after electing Iran to its advisory committee.
