The United Nations Human Rights Office has expressed serious concern over a significant increase in global executions, citing disturbing trends in 2025. This development has been highlighted by Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who described the rise as particularly alarming in cases that do not meet the ‘most serious crimes’ threshold dictated by international law. This surge has also seen the execution of individuals for crimes committed as minors and persistent secrecy surrounding execution practices.
The dramatic rise in executions is largely attributed to a few retentionist states enforcing the death penalty, notably for drug-related offenses. Iran is a case in point, with at least 1,500 executions estimated in 2025, half for drug offenses. This has been interpreted by Türk as a state mechanism for intimidation. Concerns regarding “political death sentences” disproportionately affecting ethnic minorities such as Kurds and Baloch have been echoed by Iran Human Rights Monitor.
Saudi Arabia has also seen alarmingly high execution numbers, with 78 percent related to drug offenses, and includes offenses committed by minors, raising issues of children’s rights violations under international law. Human Rights Watch underscores the urgency for global leaders to urge Saudi authorities to halt executions immediately, emphasizing the deadly trend as a cause for international action.
In Israel, a contentious proposal mandates capital punishment exclusively for Palestinians under certain conditions, raising further international humanitarian law concerns. Meanwhile, the United States executed 47 individuals, marking the highest number in 16 years, with ongoing debates about the use of gas asphyxiation and its implications for cruel punishment.
Countries including Afghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea have also been highlighted by the UN for their execution practices. In contrast, there have been positive developments, such as Kyrgyzstan’s Constitutional Court upholding the prohibition of the death penalty, recognized as crucial for safeguarding the right to life and preventing the irreversible failures of justice systems.
Türk calls on countries advocating capital punishment to halt executions and actively work towards abolishing the death penalty. The full report and its implications continue to serve as a profound call for global reflection and reform in how justice is served.