Hengaw’s report on widespread human rights violations in Iran during the first half of 2025
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in a new comprehensive report covering the first half of 2025, has documented alarming levels of fundamental rights violations across Iran. The statistical report, compiled by Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center, offers a detailed overview of rising executions, arbitrary arrests, systematic violence, and other abuses.
According to data gathered by Hengaw during the first six months of 2025:
• 617 prisoners were executed.
• 22 kolbars (cross-border porters) were killed or injured.
• 32 civilians were killed by direct fire from government forces.
• 17 individuals were killed or injured in landmine and explosive incidents.
• 29 prisoners died while in custody in Iranian prisons.
• 822 individuals with verified identities were arrested.
• 5 political activists were sentenced to death.
• 150 political activists collectively received 401 years and 11 months of immediate prison sentences, 20 years and 4 months of suspended prison sentences, and 7 activists were additionally sentenced to a total of 466 lashes.
• At least 108 women were killed by family members in domestic violence cases.
• At least 22 children and adolescents were arrested; one child offender was executed, and another was sentenced to prison.
At least 617 prisoners executed in Iran during the first half of 2025
According to recorded data, at least 617 prisoners were executed across various prisons in Iran during the first six months of 2025, with the identities of 589 individuals confirmed by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
Based on Hengaw’s statistics, at least 41 executions were carried out in secret, with prisoners denied a final visit with their families. Only 38 executions — representing just 6% of the total — were officially announced through state media.
Among those executed, 26 individuals were sentenced to death on charges related to political or religious activities, including participation in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement or "espionage for Israel". This figure is double the total number of political and religious prisoners executed in all of 2024.
Additionally, at least 18 women and one juvenile offender were executed during this period.
Ethnic/national breakdown of those executed:
• 15% (91 individuals) were Kurdish
• At least 79 were Baloch
• 76 were Lor
• 65 were Turk
• 26 were Gilak
• 14 were Arab
• 7 were Turkmen
• 2 were Sistani
• 2 were Tat
• 159 were Persian
For 56 individuals, their ethnic identity remains unknown.
Moreover, at least 40 Afghan nationals were executed in Iran during this period.
Breakdown of executions by charge:
• Drug-related charges: 289 cases (47% of total executions)
• Premeditated murder: 275 cases
• Political, religious, and espionage charges: 26 cases
• Rape: 19 cases
• Armed robbery: 8 cases
Geographic distribution:
Over 18% of executions (112 cases) were carried out in prisons in Alborz province. Other notable figures include:
• Khorasan Razavi province: 48 cases
• Isfahan province: 47 cases
• Sistan and Baluchestan province: 34 cases
Prison conditions: 29 Prisoners died in Iran during the first half of 2025
According to data recorded by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 29 prisoners died in Iranian prisons during the first six months of 2025.
Causes of death among the prisoners:
4 prisoners died under torture, including 3 Kurdish prisoners and 1 Lor prisoner.
17 prisoners died due to lack of access to medical services or delays in being transferred to medical facilities.
4 prisoners died by suicide while in custody.
At least 3 prisoners were killed during altercations with other inmates.
The cause of death for 1 prisoner remains unknown.
Among those who died, 3 were political prisoners, including 2 Kurds and 1 Swiss national.
Other deceased prisoners include:
6 prisoners charged with common crimes
3 charged with theft
3 charged with premeditated murder
10 charged with drug-related offenses
1 charged with financial crimes
The charges against 2 prisoners have not been clarified.
Ethnic/National breakdown of deceased prisoners:
38% (11 prisoners) of the deceased prisoners were Kurdish, 6 were Baloch, 2 were Lor, 1 was Gilak, 3 were Persian, and 2 were foreign nationals (from Afghanistan and Switzerland).
The ethnic identities of 4 prisoners who died in Qarchak, Baneh, Hamedan, and Ghezel Hesar (Karaj) prisons remain unknown.
32 civilians killed by direct fire from Iranian Government Forces in first half of 2025
At least 32 civilians were killed across Iran by direct gunfire from government forces — including the Intelligence Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Border Guard units, and Iranian police — during the first six months of 2025. Among the victims was a Baloch woman who worked as a teacher.
All civilians killed during this period belonged to ethnic, national, or religious minority groups.
Individuals from the Baloch population accounted for the largest share, with 25 victims (78% of the total). Additionally, at least 3 Kurds, 2 Lors, 1 Gilak, and 1 Turk were also killed.
Mass arrests: Identities of 822 detainees verified in first half of 2025
In the first half of 2025, at least 822— whose identities have been fully verified by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights — were arrested or forcibly disappeared by security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is important to note that hundreds of other were arrested during June but have not yet been verified and are not included in this report.
Of those verified, 370 (45%) were Kurdish, 170 (20.5%) were Baloch, 50 were Arab, 40 were Lor, 33 were Turk, and 12 were Gilak.
Among the detainees were 22 children and teenagers, including 10 Baloch, 9 Kurdish, and 3 Lor children.
A total of 73 women were also among those detained. In addition, 13 teachers and university professors, 8 students, and 10 media activists were arrested.
Religious activists among the detainees included: 40 Sunni Muslims, mostly Kurdish and Baloch, 31 Baha’is, 4 Christian converts, and 5 Yarsanis (Ahl-e Haqq). Furthermore, 21 followers of the Yamani movement were arrested.
Landmine and explosive victims in Iran during first half of 2025
In the first half of 2025, at least 17 individuals in Iran were victims of landmine or explosive detonations. These incidents involved mines left over from the Iran-Iraq war as well as mines newly planted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Among these victims:
• 9 individuals lost their lives.
• 8 were injured or suffered amputations.
Victim details:
• 9 victims were Kurds.
• 9 were military personnel.
Breakdown by province:
• Kurdistan province (Sanandaj): 6 cases
• Sistan and Baluchestan province: 4 cases
• Kermanshah province: 3 cases
• West Azerbaijan province (Urmia): 2 cases
• Khuzestan province: 1 case
• Ilam province: 1 case
hese figures highlight the ongoing threat posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance, particularly in border regions and underdeveloped areas, where civilians and local communities remain at high risk.
Harsh Sentences: Executions, imprisonment, and flogging for political, civil, and religious activists in Iran
In the first half of 2025, at least 155 political, religious, and civil activists in Iran were tried and sentenced by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic to punishments including execution, imprisonment, and flogging.
At least five individuals — including two Gilak activists, two Turk activists, and one Kurdish activist — were sentenced to death.
Additionally, at least 150 political, religious, and civil activists were sentenced to prison terms, flogging, and various social restrictions.
More than 30% of those sentenced (47 individuals) were Kurds, while 34 others belonged to other ethnic and national minorities, including Turk, Baloch, and Lors.
Furthermore, 24 Baha’i religious activists,8 christian converts, and 5 Kurdish Sunni activists were sentenced to prison.
Collectively, these activists were sentenced to 401 years and 11 months of immediate (discretionary) imprisonment, 20 years and 4 months of suspended imprisonment.
Furthermore, 7 activists received a combined total of 466 lashes in addition to prison terms
Among those sentenced: one child was sentenced to imprisonment and flogging.
42 women were sentenced to execution, imprisonment, or flogging, making up 28% of the total convicted individuals.
At Least 22 Kolbars killed or injured in Iran during first half of 2025
According to statistics recorded by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 10 kolbars (cross-border porters) were killed and 12 others were injured by direct gunfire from Iran’s Border Guard forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during the first six months of 2025.
Additional details:
A 17-year-old child kolbar was injured at the Nowsud border.
In total, 73% of the cases (16 kolbars) were the result of direct fire by Border Guard forces.
This year’s figures represent the lowest number of kolbar casualties in recent years.
Breakdown by province:
• Kurdistan (Sanandaj) province: 16 cases (6 killed, 10 injured)
• Kermanshah province: 5 cases (4 killed, 1 injured)
• West Azerbaijan (Urmia) province: 1 case (1 injured)
108 Femicides Recorded in Iran in the First Half of 2025
According to data from the Statistics and Documentation Center of Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, at least 108 women were killed in Iran during the first half of 2025.
More than 80% of these killings were committed by close family members, including husbands, fathers, brothers, fiancés, and other relatives. The primary motive reported for most of these femicides was family disputes.
Provinces with the highest number of femicides
Tehran province: 16 cases
Kermanshah province: 13 cases
East Azerbaijan, Razavi Khorasan, West Azerbaijan (Urmia), and Fars provinces: 6 cases each
Alborz and Mazandaran provinces: 5 cases each
