Since the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes against Iran on February 28, the country's government has dramatically escalated its execution of political prisoners — a surge that human rights observers say is both a tool of internal repression and a message to the outside world.
The United Nations has verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners since the attacks began, according to a new report from UN human rights monitors. Advocates warn the true number is likely far higher, as Iran's government rarely announces politically motivated executions publicly and family members are often pressured into silence.
'Last Words' Recorded in Secret
Among the most haunting details emerging from inside Iran's prisons are audio messages smuggled out by condemned prisoners before their deaths. In one widely circulated recording, a man believed to be a political detainee says quietly: "This may be the last time you hear my voice."
Such messages have become a grim fixture of the crisis. Rights organizations say prisoners with access to contraband phones have used them to document their final hours — naming guards, describing conditions, and urging the international community not to look away.
Executions as Wartime Suppression
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights, argue the spike in executions is not coincidental. In times of military conflict, authoritarian governments often intensify domestic crackdowns to prevent internal dissent from complicating the war effort.
Many of those executed were detained during the mass protest movements that swept Iran in recent years — including the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising of 2022 and subsequent waves of unrest. Charges typically include vague accusations such as "enmity against God" or "corruption on earth," which carry mandatory death sentences under Iran's judicial code.
Family members of prisoners have reported being given little to no notice before executions are carried out, sometimes learning of a loved one's death only through unofficial channels days later.
International Response
The UN's human rights office has called on Iran to immediately halt all executions of individuals who were imprisoned for exercising fundamental rights, including the rights to protest, free expression, and political opposition.
Several European governments have also issued statements condemning the executions, though diplomatic leverage over Iran has diminished significantly since the outbreak of hostilities. Efforts to raise the issue at the UN Security Council have been complicated by geopolitical divisions among permanent members.
Canada's Foreign Affairs ministry has not yet issued a specific statement on the execution surge, though Ottawa has consistently called for the protection of human rights in Iran and imposed sanctions on Iranian officials linked to previous crackdowns.
A Pattern of Silence
For families both inside Iran and in the diaspora — including a notable Iranian-Canadian community — the executions have triggered fresh waves of grief and fear. Many are afraid to speak publicly, worried that drawing attention to their relatives' cases could accelerate proceedings rather than delay them.
Activists outside Iran are urging diaspora communities to document, share, and amplify information about those at risk — insisting that international attention remains one of the few tools available to slow the pace of executions.
The UN says it continues to monitor the situation closely and is calling for unimpeded access to detention facilities, a request Iran has so far refused.
Source: BBC News
