Paris, June 11, 2026 — A press conference held in Paris presented an initial assessment of the crackdown that has swept Iran since the major protests five months ago. The toll was described as “horrific” by Azadeh Alemi, spokesperson for the Committee for the Support of Human Rights in Iran (CSDHI). The event was covered by the French daily *Libération* on June 11.
An Execution Machine Accelerating
The figures released illustrate the scale of the repression: 749 hangings were recorded in the first five months of 2026, while 55,000 protesters were arrested and imprisoned over the same period. By comparison, 2025 ended with 2,167 executions. Iran now holds the highest execution rate per capita in the world.
“We are warning about the dramatic acceleration of repression and the increasing use of the death penalty,” said Alemi, who herself was imprisoned at a young age alongside her mother.
Dozens of Political Prisoners on Death Row
Joining the CSDHI spokesperson were Behzad Naziri, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and Patrick Baudouin, a criminal lawyer specializing in human rights and former president and now honorary president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Both detailed the extent of human rights violations carried out by the Iranian regime.
“As we speak, around fifty political prisoners are languishing in prison, on death row,” said Naziri, who was himself imprisoned at the age of 23 and tortured in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.
Among those sentenced to death is Zahra Tabari, a 68-year-old electrical engineer, convicted on April 14 for writing the words “Woman, Life, Freedom” on a piece of fabric. Young graduates, intellectuals, and 24 figures from the world of sports have also been imprisoned, sometimes for minor offenses.
Women Increasingly Targeted
Speakers emphasized the growing proportion of women among the victims of repression. “More and more women are being executed because they are the driving force behind the protest movement,” Naziri said, referring to the uprising that began in September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini.
For the NCRI representative, the surge in executions reflects above all the fragility of a regime that “feels it is hanging by a thread” and for which the gallows remains the only “language” it uses to address its people.
Breaking the Silence and Impunity
The speakers denounced the inaction of the international community and the lack of media visibility given to crimes committed against the Iranian people, particularly the conditions of political prisoners. The regime has taken advantage of the internet blackout imposed between February and May, as well as international attention focused on the conflict involving Israel and the United States, to further intensify repression.
“The world is looking away, and the regime is taking advantage of it. This silence reinforces the total impunity of the mullahs,” warned Baudouin, denouncing “a climate conducive to the continuation of these crimes.”
All three speakers agreed that only official condemnation and international sanctions can help break the deadlock.
Rally Planned for June 20 in Paris
The speakers called on the public to take part in a large global rally scheduled for Saturday, June 20, at Place Vauban in Paris. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend, with over 300 organizations participating to demand an end to executions and the release of political prisoners in Iran.
“The diaspora from all over the world is mobilizing to shed light on the reality in Iran that too often goes unseen,” Alemi concluded.