Iran's record-breaking year of executions continued into 2024 with at least 28 people known to have been executed in just 10 days during January as the regime's killing spree surges forward in the face of a crumbling autocracy.

Statistics from the Iran Human Rights Organization reveal that since the beginning of 2024, at least 71 people have been executed in prisons across Iran. Of those, 28 were killed between January 21 and 31 alone, at least six of whom were political prisoners, and 22 others killed on charges including drugs and murder, according to rights groups.

It comes as dissent rises to record levels in Iran amidst the most dire social and economic conditions since the formation of the Islamic Republic in 1979. Executions have offered the regime a way to warn those unwilling to comply with Tehran's leadership, not least the powerful figures of entertainment, sport and celebrity who have defied the regime in support of protests.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) claimed that in 2023, at least 791 citizens, including 25 women and two child offenders, were executed in Iran, marking an increase of over 33% compared to the previous year.

In a separate report, UN experts said Iran executed at least 834 people, eight of whom were linked to nationwide protests which began in 2022, sparked by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for not wearing her hijab properly.

In a report to the United Nations General Assembly highlighting human rights violations in Iran, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the rate and scale of executions, urging action to address the trend.

Just this week, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spoke out against the record numbers of executions, telling Iran International,
"The Australian government is deeply disturbed by Iran’s extensive and persistent use of the death penalty, including against ethnic minorities and protesters".