Iranian authorities carried out a fresh wave of executions in March, executing at least 14 people since the shooting war with Israel began in late February. Rights groups and legal experts say many of those killed appear to have been detained for political reasons, and that the surge mirrors past cycles of repression.
On March 18, two days before Nowruz, Iran executed Kouroush Keyvani, an Iranian-Swedish dual national convicted of spying for Israel after an arrest during last year’s 12-day confrontation between Iran and Israel. Authorities said he had photographed sensitive sites. The next day, three young men were hanged for alleged roles in mass protests that erupted in January — the first executions linked to the nationwide demonstrations that were met with a harsh crackdown.
In the days that followed, several more people were executed on charges of rebellion tied to membership in the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), a banned opposition group. Even on Sizdah Bedar, the final day of the Persian new year celebrations, an 18-year-old named Amirhossein who had been detained during the January unrest was executed. Additional hangings continued after Nowruz.
Amnesty International and other rights organizations warn dozens more face imminent execution. Raha Bahreini, an Iran specialist at Amnesty, said there are “at least two dozen” political prisoners at immediate risk. The list includes protesters arrested in January, people linked to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, suspected affiliates of Kurdish groups or the MEK, and others charged after confessions they say were extracted under torture.
Many of the charges are broad and opaque: espionage, moharebeh (waging war against God), baghi (rebellion against the government) or “corruption on earth.” Amnesty had already warned, before the latest hostilities, that at least 30 detainees connected to the January protests — including two minors — faced the death penalty; seven of those have since been executed.
Legal scholar Afrooz Maghzi described the uptick in executions during the conflict as “entirely predictable,” pointing to patterns from the 1980s. She said Tehran is using external threats and foreign rhetoric to reframe domestic dissent as terrorism or armed insurgency, creating a pretext to target civilians. Maghzi also noted an increase in executions of relatively unknown individuals on espionage charges since the new conflict began, which she views as an effort to project strength.
Observers say the MEK label has been deployed deliberately to militarize the image of the protest movement: of the 14 people executed over six weeks, six were said to be MEK members. Maghzi urged Iranians abroad and international activists to counter state narratives by highlighting that those executed are often students, teachers and ordinary citizens rather than armed combatants, and to press governments to attach conditions to negotiations with Tehran.
Still, foreign pressure has limits. Iran is one of the world’s most prolific executioners after China. Iran Human Rights reports at least 1,500 executions in the country last year. Decades of UN resolutions and human rights motions have failed to stop the death penalty being used as a tool of intimidation, Amnesty says, and public attention often shifts away during wartime when military developments dominate coverage.
Bahreini emphasized that action should not be limited to Western capitals: countries with economic ties to Iran across Asia, Africa and Latin America can play a role by raising awareness and engaging local media and civil society. Rights advocates also call on the international community to make clear to Iranian judicial and security officials that a state of war does not provide blanket impunity for rights violations.
International and local rights groups continue to monitor executions and to call for the release or fair retrial of those held on politically motivated charges. The recent spike has renewed appeals for greater diplomatic pressure and for independent investigations into alleged torture, coerced confessions and the application of capital punishment against political detainees.