France, May 18 -- The UK-based rights group said Iran carried out 2,159 executions in 2025, more than double the previous year's total and the country's highest figure since 1981.

Amnesty said the rise reflected a broader trend in countries where authorities had tightened control by restricting civic freedoms and silencing dissent.

"This trend was strongest in countries where the authorities have tightened their grip on power by restricting civic space, silencing dissent and displaying disregard for protections established under international human rights law and standards," the organisation said.

The group said Iranian authorities intensified their use of the death penalty "as a tool of political repression and control" after the June...