Human rights groups say the number of people executed in Iran in 2025 will be double the number in the country in 2024.

The Norway-based Iranian Human Rights Group has confirmed to the BBC that at least 1,500 people have been executed by early December. It says many more have been executed since then.

The human rights organization confirmed that 975 people were executed last year alone.

It is difficult to know exactly how many people have been executed because Iranian authorities do not release data.

However, the group's assessment found another significant annual increase. This is consistent with data from other groups monitoring Iran's death penalty.

The Iranian government has previously defended its case, saying it only carries out the death penalty for "the most serious crimes."

Like in Europe, the death penalty was on the rise even before the nationwide protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini in prison in 2022.

A 22-year-old Kurdish woman was arrested by the morality police in Tehran on charges of "not wearing her hijab properly."

As a result, authorities increased the number of executions from around 520 in 2022 to 832 the following year, according to the human rights organization.

Activists say the death penalty in Iran increases when the regime feels threatened, and the aim is to instill fear in the population and prevent dissent.