The head of the judiciary of Iran’s regime, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, threatened Iran’s citizens by stating that this institution, in handling political cases related to the war and recent developments, will maintain a wartime posture until further notice.
On Monday, April 13, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei told a number of members of the Supreme Judicial Council: “The judiciary, in accordance with its legal duties and obligations and within the framework of its authority and operational sphere, has adopted a completely wartime and jihadist posture since the beginning of the third imposed war.”
He did not provide further explanation about the special conditions of this wartime posture, but added: “In dealing with spies, traitorous elements, and the foot soldiers of the invading enemy, our posture is completely wartime and in line with the requirements of the wartime period.”
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The head of the judiciary of Iran’s regime emphasized: “In handling the cases of these elements, while observing the letter of the law and the principle of justice, we exercise the utmost decisiveness and speed, and we do not consider this matter subject to the usual procedures and rules governing normal conditions.”
According to the annual report by Iran Human Rights, at least 1,639 people were executed, and the number of executions in Iran in 2025 compared to the previous year shows a 68% increase.
In 2024, at least 975 people had been executed
This figure means that in 2025, Iran’s regime executed on average more than four people per day.
France 24, citing Iran Human Rights, wrote that this figure represents the minimum confirmed number of executions, because most of these cases are not reported in the regime’s official media.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said in this regard: “The authorities, by creating fear through an average of four to five executions per day in 2025, tried to prevent the formation of new protests and prolong their decaying rule.”
Wartime status is not defined in Iran’s legal system
In Iran’s current legal system, wartime conditions are not explicitly defined in law, and in the field of criminal law there is also no provision under which criminal procedure changes during wartime or grants special and additional powers to the judiciary.
In the law passed in October last year under the title “Intensification of Punishment for Espionage,” Article 6 explicitly states that if the crimes covered by this law occur under wartime conditions, the individual’s punishment is increased by up to three degrees.
If we assume that for one of the criminal titles under this law—such as operational action in support of a hostile state—a sentence of 2 to 5 years of imprisonment is prescribed, then if committed under wartime conditions, the 2-to-5-year prison sentence can increase to more than 20 years.
In the law governing punishment for crimes of the armed forces, committing an offense during wartime is also considered an aggravating factor, and crimes such as disobeying command orders, espionage, or abandoning one’s post will face harsher punishment if committed under wartime conditions.
Even before the emergence of wartime conditions, full compliance with these procedural formalities was already doubtful, and it appears that under the current conditions, disregard for due process has become even more severe.
Iran’s regime has intensified repression over the past year, and two human rights organizations reported that the regime’s authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, a figure unprecedented in the past 36 years.
According to the annual report by Iran Human Rights, 48 women were also among the executed.
The number of people executed in Iran in 2025, compared to the previous year, shows a 68% increase. In 2024, at least 975 people had been executed.
In recent months, especially after the January protests, Iran’s regime has even used the label of terrorist against protesters.
Ali Fahim was executed on April 6, Mohammadamin Biglari and Shahin Vahedparast on April 5, Amirhossein Hatami on April 2, 2026, and Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi on March 19.
Iran’s regime had previously also executed Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amerian on April 4, 2026, Pouya Ghabadi Bistouni and Babak Alipour on March 31, and Akbar Daneshvarkar and Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi on March 30, on charges of membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and armed rebellion.
In June 2025, following the 12-day war with Israel, the head of the judiciary of Iran’s regime also announced that more than 2,000 people were arrested in various cities across Iran.
He said that some of the detainees are accused of organized collaboration with the enemy and may face lengthy imprisonment or execution.
