On August 7, 2024, Iran executed 29 individuals, including 26 in a collective execution at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, near Tehran.

This mass execution followed international condemnation over the previous day's execution of a man linked to protests.

Human rights organizations, including the Iran Human Rights (IHR) and the Centre for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), confirmed that at least 20 of the executed were from Karaj.

In addition to the mass execution, three more men were executed in another prison in Karaj, facing charges of murder, drug trafficking, and rape, including two Afghan citizens.

Iran has one of the highest rates of executions globally, second only to China, with ongoing criticism regarding the lack of transparency in trials and the use of torture to obtain confessions.

Human rights activists accuse the Iranian government of using the death penalty as a tool of intimidation against protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman, in custody last September.

The recent mass execution is unprecedented in Iran in recent years, marking the first such event since 2009.

Among those executed was Gholamresa Rasaei, who had been sentenced to death in October 2023 for allegedly killing a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the protests.

IHR director Mahmud Amiri-Moghaddam warned that without immediate international intervention, hundreds more could fall victim to the regime's execution practices in the coming months.

In total, over 300 executions have already occurred in Iran in 2024 alone, highlighting a troubling trend.

The convicted individuals executed recently faced serious charges, including murder, drug offenses, and rape.