Rezvan Asgharzadeh, a 45-year-old mother of six, was executed at Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan on Monday, September 14, 2026.
Her execution brings the reported number of women executed in Iranian prisons since the beginning of 2026 to at least 26.
Asgharzadeh was arrested approximately six and a half years ago in connection with drug-related offenses. Two years ago, a Revolutionary Court in Isfahan sentenced her to death. She was subsequently held at Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan.
The 45-year-old mother of six had initially been included on a list of prisoners eligible for clemency. However, her name was reportedly removed following a negative assessment submitted by Fatemeh Asgarian, the head of Dowlatabad Prison.
Rezvan Asgharzadeh’s husband has also been sentenced to death on similar charges.
A Systemic Cycle of Violence and Injustice
Women sentenced to death by the Iranian regime are often trapped in a continuous cycle of violence and defenselessness. They are the primary victims of discriminatory laws, domestic abuse, poverty, and a corrupt judicial structure that offers them absolutely no legal protection.
Furthermore, women executed for drug-related offenses are frequently forced into trafficking by male family members or by extreme poverty. Meanwhile, the primary smuggling networks and drug cartels remain under the control of syndicates tied to the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which pocket massive profits and enjoy complete immunity.
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 354 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.
Since Masoud Pezeshkian took office, the clerical regime has executed nearly 4080 prisoners, including 114 women.
According to the NCRI sources, in 2025 alone, at least 2,201 executions were recorded in Iran, more than double the 1,006 individuals executed in 2024.
Amnesty International confirmed in its annual report that Iran’s ruling dictatorship carried out at least 2,159 executions in 2025, the highest documented annual execution rate worldwide since 1981.
The NCRI Women’s Committee calls on the United Nations and relevant agencies, the European Union and its member states, as well as all human rights defenders, to take effective measures to halt the rampant executions in Iran.
