News Center — Iran continues to record one of the highest execution rates in the world, carrying out death sentences for a wide range of offenses, including those related to political and security cases.

Hundreds of prisoners in Units 1 and 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison have refused to accept their meals for the past two days and have staged sit-ins in the prison corridors to protest the transfer of 16 inmates to solitary confinement and the sharp increase in executions.

Since the morning of Tuesday, October 14, families and relatives of prisoners sentenced to death have also gathered in protest outside Ghezel Hesar Prison, holding up photos of their loved ones and chanting slogans such as “No to executions” and “Abolish the death penalty now.”

According to videos released from inside the prison, the health of several inmates has deteriorated due to the ongoing hunger strike, while concern is growing for the safety of other protesters. Reports indicate that the prison warden entered the ward yesterday to distribute food, but the prisoners insisted on continuing their strike and refused to eat.

Despite promises to suspend executions and return some inmates who had been transferred to solitary cells, no tangible changes have occurred so far. The atmosphere in the prison has become highly tense; the prison watchtower was shut down, and several judicial officials, including Ruhollah Hosseinzadeh, the Deputy Prosecutor of Karaj, were present at the prison attempting to persuade the prisoners to end their strike with verbal assurances.

According to a report by the Iran Human Rights Organization, 1,537 people were executed between October 10, 2024, and October 8, 2025. Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj recorded the highest number of executions during this period.

One section of the report provides a statistical comparison of executions in Iran over the past decade, highlighting a significant increase in their frequency. Over the last ten years, 6,399 executions have been carried out, with 2024–2025 marking an unprecedented peak.

At least 1,537 executions were documented during this period — the highest number recorded, representing an 86% increase compared to the previous year, which saw 823 executions. This figure also exceeds the annual average of executions over the past decade, raising growing international concern about Iran’s accelerating use of the death penalty