Statement of 21 organizations and networks opposed to the Islamic Republic on the occasion of October 10, the World Day Against the Death Penalty

The Islamic Republic’s killing machine must be stopped immediately

While the international community is preoccupied with preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons, the regime deploys another deadly weapon on a daily basis: the death penalty.

According to figures from Iran Human Rights, in the first nine months of this year alone the regime has executed more than 1030 people. Such numbers are unprecedented in the past three decades. If this state-organised crime continues at the current pace, executions in Iran by year’s end will account for a large share of the world’s total.

The sharp escalation in executions—up more than 40 per cent since the twelve-day war with Israel—demands that no one remain silent in the face of these state crimes. Now is the time not only to block the regime from acquiring nuclear arms, but also to strip it of its other weapon of terror: execution.

On the occasion of 10 October, the World Day Against the Death Penalty, we call on the international community, international organisations, human rights groups, trade unions, and all progressive and popular forces worldwide to raise their voices louder and clearer against the wave of executions in Iran.

Today in Iran, a battle is underway in which the defence of the right to life and the struggle against executions are central. “Life” has been a core slogan of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and it continues to be loudly proclaimed. On the third anniversary of the Mahsa revolution, one of society’s dominant discourses was the condemnation of executions and a demand for the trial of those responsible. Prisons have become hotbeds of the struggle against the death penalty; in daily protests, anti-execution slogans resonate; in cities such as Semirom and various cities in Kurdistan, people are going on general strikes to protest the implementation of death sentences. Labour and social organizations speak out openly and boldly against the death penalty. Graffiti bearing the names and photos of those sentenced to death is painted on walls across cities, displaying society’s determination to end this barbarity. An atmosphere of defiance and disgust toward the regime of executions, repression, and plunder is highly palpable in society.

These realities show that despite the surge in executions, the regime has failed to silence society. Each execution sparks not fear but a fresh wave of protest.

Stopping the Islamic Republic’s execution machine is now an urgent priority. The regime sees mass executions and repression as the only way to preserve its rotten rule, while the people of Iran, to defend their lives, see no alternative but to overthrow it. Disabling this machinery of death is achievable—if we can build powerful, united forces nationally and internationally against the criminal regime. Broad-based alliances inside and outside Iran against executions are vital.

The convening of a congress against the death penalty and for the release of political prisoners in Iran – with the participation of activists, human rights organisations, and representatives of political parties – will be an important step forward. Equally vital is broad support for prisoners’ hunger strikes against executions, and for the families of those facing death sentences.

Internationally, we demand more than words of condemnation. Effective action is needed. Diplomatic pressure must be intensified, and European governments must act in concert by recalling their ambassadors from Tehran in protest at executions and repression, and in solidarity with the Iranian people’s struggle. Targeted sanctions must be imposed on the “judges of death” and all officials and institutions directly involved in designing and carrying out execution policies.

On the World Day Against the Death Penalty, let us demonstrate, through united protests and diverse actions, that the people of Iran and the world together demand an immediate halt to executions in Iran and the complete abolition of this inhuman punishment.

September 30, 2025

International Committee Against Executions (ICAE)
Balochistan Human Rights Group
Free Vrishe Moradi Campaign
Free Human
Canadian Iranian Doctors for Human Rights
Network of Iranians for Liberty & Democracy
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)
Global Network to Free Political Prisoners in Iran
Global Campaign to Stop Execution in Iran
United Against Gender Apartheid
Iranian Medical Society for Human Rights and Democracy (Berlin Med)
Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran ( Free Them Now)
Kanoon-e Khavaran
International Independent Physicians and Healthcare Providers Association (IIPHA)
Alliance for women, life, freedom- stockholm
United to End Executions in Iran (UTEEIRAN)
Rojhalat Women Organization
Balochistan Cooperation Council
International Association of Iranian Legal and Political Advocate (IAILPA)
Women Revolution
Women Life Freedom Germany e. V.

Let’s Raise Our Voices Together!

We call on all Iranians, inside the country and across the globe, as well as political, artistic, academic, and athletic figures; human rights defenders; members of political parties and civil society institutions; women’s organizations; labor and professional unions; grassroots and civic groups; and everyone who stands in solidarity with the Iranian people to unite around two urgent and vital demands:

-The unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners in Iran.

-The immediate halt to all executions and the complete abolition of the death penalty in Iran.

We hope this unified call will pave the way for broader cooperation and collective action toward the freedom and well-being of the people of Iran.

The list of signatories will be updated regularly. The “Let’s Raise Our Voices Together” initiative will be officially published on July 14.