ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iran must “immediately end” its use of capital punishment to silence dissent and provide rights to free expression, a joint statement by 26 countries including Canada, France, and the UK said Wednesday, with the Islamic republic among the world’s top executioners. 

The countries, namely Canada, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, and Germany, as well as the EU’s top diplomat, said they “condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

“The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified,” the statement stressed. 

Last week, the UN’s human rights chief Volker Turk said Iran continues using executions to “instill fear,” expressing his alarm that at least 56 death sentences have been carried out on those charged with national security breaches since March.

Iran also has a long history of broadcasting alleged confessions from detainees that are widely believed to have been obtained through threats, psychological pressure, and, in some cases, physical torture.

“We call on Iran to immediately end the use of the death penalty and release all those arbitrarily detained,” the countries said, further calling on Tehran to “listen to the voice of its people as they demand change, and to take meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human rights.” 

According to Amnesty International’s 2025 annual report on the use of the death penalty worldwide, global executions have surged to their highest level in over four decades, driven largely by Iran.

The report said Iranian authorities carried out at least 2,159 executions, more than double the previous year and the highest figure recorded in the country in decades. Iran alone accounted for around 80 percent of all recorded executions worldwide.