Information and documents obtained by IranWire suggest that the number of political executions carried out during the war and postwar periods is significantly higher than the figures officially acknowledged by the judiciary. So far, 32 political executions have been publicly reported, including 14 individuals linked to the January protests. However, even these officially released numbers appear incomplete and heavily manipulated.
IranWire’s investigation found that state-affiliated outlets, particularly the judiciary-linked Mizan News Agency, often published reports of executions only after the victims’ names had already spread widely through independent channels such as HRANA, Vahid Online, and Tahkim-e Mellat.
Sources inside Iran told IranWire that the real number of executions is much higher. They also said that state media, especially Mizan, frequently publish incorrect execution dates in official reports. IranWire contacted Mehdi Keshtdar, CEO of Mizan News Agency, regarding these inconsistencies, but received no response.
For this investigation, IranWire spoke with sources connected to the government, human rights lawyers in Tehran and several provinces, as well as activists and journalists inside Iran. All identities have been withheld for security reasons.
