At least 266 prisoners were executed across Iran during the first half of 2024 according to rights group Hengaw as Iran's execution spree continues.

Prisoners included 72 Kurds, 42 Turks, 32 Balochs, 23 Afghans, 10 women, and one child, as religious and ethnic minorities continue to be among those most persecuted in the country. The majority of the charges were drug related offences.

It follows a record year of executions in Iran last year with over 850 carried out as the government quashes dissent.

Globally, a total of 1,153 executions were recorded last year, with Iran responsible for 74% of these and Saudi Arabia for 15%, according to rights group Amnesty International.

Amnesty's report titled "Don't Let Them Kill Us", called for urgent international intervention to halt the surge in executions, which it describes as transforming Iranian prisons into grounds for mass executions.