On the morning of Saturday, March 29, Mahnaz Kakaei was hanged at Isfahan Central Prison (Dastgerd), after spending four years and seven months in detention. She had been sentenced to qisas (retribution in kind) on charges of “premeditated murder” of her fiancé.
Mahnaz Kakaei, 24, was raised by her stepmother and was under pressure from her father to marry a man of his choice. However, she did not want this marriage, and before the wedding could take place, she allegedly stabbed her fiancé to death during a verbal altercation.
As of the time of this report, Iranian regime’s state media and official sources have not confirmed the execution.
With the execution of Mahnaz Kakaei, the number of women executed in Iran in 2025 has risen to eight.
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 271 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.
