Global Coalition Condemns Iran Over Escalating Executions of Anti-Regime Protesters

A coalition of 32 nations, featuring 29 European countries alongside Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, released a joint statement on Wednesday to strongly condemn Iran's reliance on the death penalty against demonstrators.

“The people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear,” stated the joint declaration, which was shared by the German Foreign Office. The nations further urged Tehran to heed the calls of its citizens demanding change and to enact meaningful reforms to protect human rights.

Capital punishment and death sentences have persisted at alarming levels within the country following the US-Israeli war with Iran. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reported last week that at least 56 individuals have been executed on national security-related charges since March 19, including 27 people connected to widespread anti-regime protests earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center, an Iranian human rights organization, reported that the total number of executions since the beginning of 2026 has reached 916, which includes 15 executions recorded in August alone. Earlier in April, the European External Action Service—the diplomatic body handling the European Union's foreign and security policy—labeled the execution rate as “appalling” while calling on Iranian authorities to free all individuals detained for protesting.