Joint call for action to stop execution of Afghan nationals in Iran

84 human rights organizations have issued a joint statement, calling for action to stop the execution of Afghan nationals in Iran.

News Center- 84 human rights organizations and groups issued a joint statement on Wednesday, calling for action to stop the execution of Afghan nationals in Iran.

“There has been a dramatic rise in the execution of Afghan nationals in Iran,” the statement said, stressing that at least 80 Afghan men were executed in Iran, a three-fold increase compared to the previous year. “These executions are carried out in silence and without transparency. Only six of the 80 executions were announced through official sources.”

According to the statement, at least 32 Afghan nationals were executed in the first five months of 2025.

The statement signed by 84 human rights organizations and groups continues as follows:

“The Islamic Republic has demonstrated that it acts with impunity when it comes to executing the most marginalized and impoverished communities whose executions do not have any political cost.

Given the internal political circumstances in Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic also does not feel obligated to grant consular access to Afghan nationals. If these executions continue to be costless for the Islamic Republic, we fear that dozens more Afghan nationals will be executed in the coming months.

We emphasize that legal proceedings, particularly those related to the death penalty, do not meet the minimum fair trial standards and confessions are often extracted under torture and coercion.

Furthermore, the anti-immigration wave, especially anti-Afghan sentiment fueled by the government to divert public attention from its economic mismanagement, paves the way for further reducing the political cost of their execution.

We, the undersigned, call on all human rights organizations, activists, political figures and the public to express their opposition to the execution of Afghan nationals by any means possible. We also urge the international community to take appropriate action to prevent the continuation of this trend.”