Washington’s annual report accuses Tehran of mass executions, systemic torture, censorship, and targeting dissidents at home and abroad.

In its latest annual review, the U.S. Department of State has accused the Iranian regime of intensifying its campaign of repression throughout 2024, marked by mass executions, widespread torture, severe censorship, and the targeting of dissidents both inside the country and abroad.

The Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Iran describes a year in which the Iranian regime not only maintained its already harsh restrictions but expanded them—using the death penalty against political opponents, brutally enforcing its compulsory hijab laws, and silencing critical voices through intimidation, imprisonment, and violence.

Executions, Arbitrary Killings, and Targeting of Minorities

The report documents numerous cases of arbitrary or unlawful killings, including executions for crimes that fail to meet international legal standards for capital punishment, such as political dissent, blasphemy, and nonviolent drug offenses. Between January and mid-August, 58% of recorded executions were for drug-related crimes, many carried out in secret without notifying families. Iran’s Baluch minority, only 5% of the population, accounted for 29% of these executions.

Authorities also executed juvenile offenders, as interpreted and applied by the country’s judicial system, allowed for the execution of juvenile offenders, starting at the legal age of
“maturity” (age nine for girls and 13 for boys). The report cites the August execution of Kurdish-Yaresan activist Reza Rasaei, who was denied legal counsel and tortured into confessing to killing an IRGC officer during a protest.

Crimes Against Humanity

The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran concluded that the regime’s suppression of the 2022 protests constituted crimes against humanity. A separate UN report characterized Iran’s 1980s mass killings of political and religious minorities, particularly Baha’is, as genocide.

Systematic Suppression of Free Expression

Iran’s constitution nominally guarantees freedom of expression, but the regime imposes strict limits. Journalists face harassment, imprisonment, and censorship for reporting on government corruption, human rights abuses, or political dissent. From January to March alone, authorities prosecuted at least 91 journalists, sentencing 24 to a combined 14 years in prison and imposing more than $15 million in fines. The regime continues to block major international news sites, opposition media, and human rights platforms, while state-run outlets dictate news coverage.

Notable cases include the death sentence (later overturned) against rapper Toomaj Salehi for “spreading corruption on earth” after releasing protest-supporting music, and the raid on the newsroom of Farda-e-Eghtesad, where journalists were detained without explanation.

Crackdown on Workers’ Rights

Independent labor unions remain effectively banned, and worker protests are often met with violence, arbitrary arrests, and lengthy prison sentences. Labor activist Sharifeh Mohammedi was sentenced to death on fabricated charges of “armed rebellion.”

Despite rampant inflation exceeding 40%, Iran’s minimum wage remains less than half the amount needed to support a family in Tehran. Migrant workers, particularly Afghans, face widespread exploitation, including below-minimum wages, nonpayment, and deportation threats.

Disappearances, Arbitrary Detention, and Hostage-Taking

The report highlights numerous cases of enforced disappearances, with political activists, journalists, and protesters abducted by plainclothes agents and held without acknowledgment. High-profile detainees, repeatedly denied medical care after being beaten in prison, and Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, at imminent risk of execution after a grossly unfair trial.

Dual nationals are frequently targeted for politically motivated arrests, with many used as bargaining chips in negotiations with foreign governments.

Widespread Torture and Sexual Violence

Torture is rampant, with security forces using beatings, electric shocks (including to genitals), sexual assault, and denial of medical care to extract confessions. Amnesty International and other NGOs documented threats of rape against detainees and their families. The report also cites the use of inhuman punishments, including flogging, amputation, and hanging by crane.

Children’s Rights Violations

Child labor remains widespread, with an estimated three million working children. Iran also continues to facilitate child marriage, with at least 27,000 girls under 15 married in 2023 alone, some as young as nine with court and parental approval. The government’s “marriage loan” program is cited as a driver of this trend.

Iran was again identified by the U.S. Secretary of State as recruiting and using child soldiers, both domestically and through its allied militias in the region.

Discrimination and Religious Persecution

Religious minorities—including Baha’is, Christians, and Sunni Muslims—face severe restrictions. Jews, though officially recognized, endure antisemitic propaganda from top officials, Holocaust denial, and discriminatory policies. State textbooks promote hatred against Jews, while the regime continues to fund and arm groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah that openly call for the killing of Jews.

Targeting Dissidents Abroad

Iran’s repression extends beyond its borders. The report details assassination attempts, kidnappings, and threats against dissidents abroad. Iran’s regime also pressures foreign governments to hand over dissidents, as in the September case of Kurdish asylum seeker Behzad Khosravi, extradited from Iraqi Kurdistan to Iranian authorities.

The 2024 State Department report concludes that the Iranian regime took no credible steps to investigate or hold accountable officials responsible for these abuses, instead escalating its campaign to silence dissent, enforce ideological conformity, and punish critics both inside and outside Iran.