The European Union and 26 other countries condemned Iran’s executions of protesters in a joint statement issued August 12, calling the ongoing use of capital punishment to silence dissent “unjustifiable” and demanding an immediate halt to the practice.
The statement, released by the UK Foreign Office on behalf of the signatories including France, Germany, Canada, and Australia, specifically targets Iran’s use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression. The countries declared that “the use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified.”
The joint condemnation follows a documented escalation in executions of protesters linked to Iran’s January 2026 uprising. According to Amnesty International, Iranian authorities have arbitrarily executed at least 26 people convicted of offences connected to those January protests, following what the organization describes as torture-tainted, grossly unfair trials by Revolutionary Courts. At least 60 others sentenced to death remain at risk of execution, including three arrested as children.
Public executions have returned to Iran’s streets as part of an expanded crackdown following months of war with the United States and Israel. On July 28, two young men—Amirhossein Safari, 27, and Abolfazl Sepahi, 23—were hanged publicly in Isfahan’s Alikhani Square, according to human rights groups and ABC News. Cranes were used to set up hanging ropes, and security forces clashed with citizens who gathered to protest the executions.
The signatories called on Iran to “listen to the voice of its people as they demand change” and to take “meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human rights.” They specifically demanded the immediate release of all those arbitrarily detained in connection with the protests.
Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said the international response has been insufficient. “The muted response from the international community emboldens the Iranian authorities to continue their deadly rampage,” Morayef stated. “UN member states must take urgent coordinated diplomatic action to press the Iranian authorities to halt further executions.”
The surge in executions represents part of a broader trend. According to data from Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights, Iran executed at least 1,639 people in 2025—an average of more than four per day—marking the highest annual toll since 1989. A significant portion of those executions have targeted individuals on national security charges or in connection with political dissent.
Among those convicted in connection with January 2026 protests, authorities have used broadly worded charges including “enmity against God,” “corruption on earth,” and violations of an espionage law enacted after the June 2025 war with Israel. Many convictions rely on confessions obtained during detention, according to Amnesty International and family accounts reported by ABC News. One defendant, Shervin Bagherian, was subjected to enforced disappearance for 21 days and torture before his forced confession was broadcast in a propaganda video prior to trial.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stated in a separate August 2026 statement that Iran has executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19, with more than 100 others at risk of execution on similar charges. Türk condemned the judicial process, expressing concern over confessions “allegedly obtained under torture and other ill-treatment.”
Families of those on death row have reported systematic intimidation by security forces, with warnings not to speak to media or contact other families of defendants. One family member told ABC News: “The whole family’s life is on fire. It is not just the life of one single person at risk. We are all at risk.”
Sources
- Reuters — EU and 26 countries’ joint statement condemning executions, August 12, 2026
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Full text of joint statement on executions in Iran, August 12, 2026
- Amnesty International — Report on escalating campaign of arbitrary executions and death sentences against protesters, July 28, 2026
- ABC News — Report on public executions in Isfahan and torture allegations, August 9, 2026
- Le Monde — Report on 32 countries condemning executions, August 13, 2026
