On April 15, 2025, Marziyeh Esmaeili, a 39-year-old woman and mother of a young daughter, was executed in Qazvin Central Prison on drug-related charges.
She had been convicted of carrying 600 grams of narcotics — a desperate act taken in exchange for just 10 million tomans (approximately $150 at current unofficial rates).
Marziyeh Esmaeili was living in extreme poverty and, with no financial or social support, agreed to transport the drugs out of sheer necessity. Following her arrest, she was denied access to legal representation, as she had no one to advocate for her and no means to afford a lawyer. She was ultimately sentenced to death and executed at the age of 39.
With no family to claim her, her body was handed over the following day, April 16, to her adopted daughter, Soda — the only person left in her life. Details about her burial and the location of her grave remain unknown.
This execution once again draws attention to the unjust and vulnerable situation of women in Iran — women who, as a result of poverty, structural inequality, systematic corruption, and the lack of legal protection, are pushed onto a path that may ultimately lead to the gallows.
With the execution of Marziyeh Esmaeili, the number of women executed in Iran in 2025 has risen to twelve.
Iran: The World’s Leading Executioner of Women
Iran holds the grim record for the highest number of women executed globally. According to data compiled by the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), at least 275 women have been executed in Iran since 2007.
Many of the women executed by the Iranian regime are themselves victims of domestic violence and discriminatory family laws. A significant number have acted in self-defense.
The number of women executed in Iran saw a sharp rise in 2024. At least 34 women were hanged last year, with 23 of these executions occurring after Massoud Pezeshkian took office. In total, the regime executed at least 1,000 prisoners in 2024.
In the Iranian calendar Year 1403, at least 38 women were executed in Iran, marking a disturbing 90% increase compared to the previous year.
A Statistical Comparison of Women’s Executions in Iran
Between 2013 and 2020, at least 120 women were executed in Iran, averaging 15 executions per year. In contrast, the execution of 34 women in 2024 marks more than a twofold increase, signaling an alarming trend.
Since Ebrahim Raisi took office in 2021, the number of executions—including those of women—has steadily increased. This upward trajectory has accelerated after Raisi’s death on May 19, 2023, and Pezeshkian’s rise to power in August 2023.
Since Raisi’s death, an average of 3.3 women have been executed per month. Pezeshkian openly defended the regime’s execution policy on October 9, 2024. In comparison, during Raisi’s 34-month tenure, 63 women were executed, averaging 1.85 executions per month.
These figures reinforce the reality that, regardless of who holds the presidency, the Iranian regime continues to trample on the rights of its people, especially women.
