KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran executed 12 prisoners, including an Afghan national convicted on drug-related charges, in multiple prisons across the country, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported.
Hengaw, a group monitoring human rights abuses in Iran, identified the Afghan national as Nazir, who was executed on Wednesday, December 24, in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz. The other executions took place in various prisons nationwide on the same day, the rights group said.
Iranian authorities and state media have not confirmed these executions.
Human rights organizations have long criticized Iranian authorities for their extensive use of the death penalty, raising concerns over limited access to legal defense, lack of transparency, and violations of fair trial standards, particularly for foreign nationals and politically sensitive cases.
According to Hengaw, at least 260 people were executed across Iran in November alone, including five Afghan nationals and several women convicted of various offenses. So far in 2025, more than 1,000 executions have been carried out nationwide, with 65 Afghan nationals among those executed.
International rights advocates continue to urge Iran to halt executions and adhere to global human rights norms. They stress the importance of fair trials, judicial transparency, and special protections for vulnerable prisoners, including foreign nationals and individuals convicted of minor or non-violent offenses.
