Iran Executes Three Men Convicted of Rape as Death Penalty Numbers Soar

Iran executed three men convicted of rape on Tuesday, according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency, as the country's already heavy reliance on capital punishment continues to intensify. Two of the executions took place in the Kurdish city of Qorveh, while a third was carried out in the northern city of Rasht.

In the Rasht case, Mizan reported that the executed man had abducted, raped, and murdered a 10-year-old boy in mid-2025. He was arrested the same day after the child's parents filed a missing person report. The two men executed in Qorveh were convicted of abducting and raping a 14-year-old boy in August 2024. Their appeals were rejected by Iran's Supreme Court, which upheld the death sentences.

These executions come amid a broader crackdown in which Iranian authorities have been ramping up the use of the death penalty for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to political dissent. Human rights organizations have long accused the regime of using executions as a tool of intimidation, particularly against minority groups and political opponents.

According to Amnesty International, at least 2,159 people were executed in Iran last year — the highest annual figure recorded since 1981. The trend has continued into 2025, with rights groups documenting dozens of additional executions each month. Death sentences have also been increasingly handed down to alleged spies and political prisoners amid the ongoing regional tensions.

Critics say the judicial process in these cases often lacks due process, with defendants frequently denied access to lawyers and fair trials. The United Nations and European Union have repeatedly called on Iran to halt executions and abolish capital punishment, but Tehran has defended its use of the death penalty as necessary for maintaining public order and justice.