In the early hours of Monday, October 13, 2025, a woman named Zeynab Khodabandeh was hanged in Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison alongside four men.
Khodabandeh had previously been sentenced to death on charges related to drug offenses.
No further details have been released, and as of the time of this report, her execution has not been officially announced by prison authorities or relevant state institutions.
With the execution of Zeynab Khodabandeh, the number of women executed in Iran since the beginning of 2025 has reached 40, setting an unprecedented record for female executions in the country. Last year, a total of 34 women were executed in Iran.
Iran, the world record holder in executing women
According to data recorded by the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, at least 303 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.
In the Iranian calendar Year 1403, at least 38 women were executed in Iran, marking a disturbing 90% increase compared to the previous year.
From October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025, the clerical regime ruling Iran has set an unprecedented record of 1,654 executions across 31 provinces, including 54 women, 8 juvenile offenders, and 10 public executions.
