Execution of 21 people and 4,000 detainees in Iran since the beginning of the US-Israeli war

SadaNews - 21 people have been executed and over 4,000 have been detained in Iran for political or national security reasons since the beginning of the US-Israeli war, according to a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Wednesday.

The UN agency stated that since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, "at least nine people have been executed in connection with the protests that took place in January 2026, ten people were executed on suspicion of belonging to opposition groups, and two were executed on charges of espionage".

The High Commissioner clarified that during this period, over four thousand people were detained "on charges related to national security".

It added that "many of the detainees are victims of enforced disappearance and torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, including coerced confessions that are sometimes broadcast on television, and fake executions".

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned in the statement that "in addition to the dire consequences of the conflict, the authorities continue to brutally and harshly violate the rights of the Iranian people".

He said, "In times of war, the threats to human rights increase significantly. However, restrictions cannot be accepted even when invoked on the basis of national security, except in cases of extreme necessity and in a proportionate manner".

He added, "I call on the authorities to suspend all executions, impose a temporary halt on the imposition of the death penalty, and ensure full respect for defense rights and the right to a fair trial, and to immediately release those arbitrarily detained".

The Commission reported that many people, including children, remain at risk of execution under "Iran's vague and broad definition of national security crimes".

At the same time, dozens of prisoners, including lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought from the European Parliament in 2012, have been transferred to unknown locations.

Iran is considered the second most prolific country in the world to carry out executions after China, according to human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.