'This may be the last time you hear my voice': Political executions surge in Iran since start of war

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. 'This may be the last time you hear my voice': Political executions surge in Iran since start of war42 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleCaroline HawleyandGhoncheh HabibiazadKURDPAMehrab Abdollahzadeh was executed earlier this monthThe line is crackly. But the voice of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh is clear and, given the circumstances, surprisingly steady. He's on death row in western Iran.

He speaks quickly - as if time is running out. And his message is desperate. "You are hearing my voice from Oromiyeh Central Prison, and this may be the last time you hear it," he says in a voice note obtained by the Kurdistan Human Rights Network.

The Details

"From the very first day of my arrest, they forced confessions out of me through torture and threats, confessions that were entirely false. None of the charges against me are true. They know it, and God knows it.

"Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly. He was accused of involvement in the killing of a member of Iran's Basij militia force. After 42 months of fear and sleepless nights, he was put to death earlier this month - part of a surge in executions of people on political and security charges.

Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it's verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners. This marks a sharp year-on-year increase, with 45 executions on politically-motivated charges taking place across the whole of 2025, according to Amnesty International. Iran carried out highest number of executions in decadesExecutions in Iran estimated to have doubled in 2025, report saysTotal repression and air strikes bring unrelenting dread for IraniansThe UN's Human Rights Office has warned the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent.

What Experts Say

Several of those killed this year were accused of spying for Israel or the CIA, while some were accused of being affiliated with an exiled opposition group. Fourteen of them were arrested in relation to the uprising in January this year, which was crushed with lethal force - leading to thousands of deaths. "In Iran, the authorities carry out executions by hanging.

They carry them out at dawn," says Nassim Papayianni of Amnesty International. "People in Iran have been waking up to near-daily announcements of executions. ""They weaponise the death penalty as a tool of political repression, to instil fear among the population, and essentially crush and stifle any dissent that there might be.

"While some executions are announced publicly, a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office told the it was concerned others were happening in secret. Last year, Iran carried out 2,159 executions, according to Amnesty International - the highest number since 1989. It says that the vast majority are for drugs-related offences or murder.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.