More than 300 prominent international legal experts, human rights defenders, and Nobel laureates have issued a joint open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, warning of a sharp escalation in executions in Iran and an emerging pattern of atrocity crimes.

The signatories—including former UN officials, international court presidents, and leading jurists—state that Iranian authorities are exploiting recent regional instability to intensify political repression.

For Iran, execution is not merely a legal punishment; it is a primary language through which the state communicates with its people—one of intimidation, aimed at crushing a nation seeking freedom. For the regime, executions function like oxygen for a system facing the threat of popular uprising and internal dissent.

Amid ongoing war, nine political prisoners have reportedly been executed. Among them were six members of the MEK/PMOI, alongside three young protesters from the January 2026 uprising, including two teenagers. These executions appear to exploit wartime conditions and a near-total internet blackout to suppress dissent, control information, and silence the voices of the Iranian people.

In the 126th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, prisoners in 57 prisons across Iran staged a hunger strike on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, once again voicing their opposition to the continued issuance and implementation of death sentences. With Kerman Prison joining the initiative, the campaign has expanded further across the country. Despite security pressure, threats, communication restrictions, and the consequences of hunger strikes, participants continue their protests. They argue that the death penalty violates the fundamental right to life and has become a tool for intensifying fear, silencing dissent, and undermining human dignity and justice.

On 29 January 2026, the European Union formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, as a terrorist organisation after a unanimous decision by all 27 member states at the Foreign Affairs Council. The move places the IRGC on the EU terrorist list alongside ISIL and Al Qaida, signalling that Europe views the Guard not as a conventional state body, but as a driver of repression and transnational violence.

Hamed Baniamerian (left), whose brother Vahid (right) was recently executed in Iran, spoke to The Sunday Times about the impact of his death on their family. Vahid, a 33-year-old electrical engineer, was executed at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran.

“I would have told him I love him, that I will miss him, that I didn’t want him to go,” Hamed said. “I always felt a sense of responsibility for my little brother. This is devastating for me.”

In a rare and historic action, 106 Nobel Prize laureates issued a joint statement condemning the systematic repression and widespread human rights violations in Iran and declaring their firm support for the Iranian people’s uprising for freedom, social justice, and the establishment of a democratic republic. The statement highlights that protesters across Iran, by calling for freedom, reject all forms of dictatorship, whether royal or religious, and demand a democratic, pluralistic, and corruption-free republic.