The number of political executions in Iran has soared to a record high, with at least 975 people put to death in 2023, according to a coalition of human rights groups. The figure marks a staggering 80 per cent increase from the previous year, driven largely by the regime’s crackdown on dissent following the nationwide protests that erupted in autumn 2022. MPs from across the political spectrum have accused the British government of failing to match the scale of the crisis, describing its sanctions strategy as “insufficient” and lacking teeth.
Labour MP Toby Perkins, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “This is a moral stain on the international community. The UK has imposed sanctions on some individuals, but we are not hitting the regime where it hurts: the oil and gas revenue that funds this repression.” The government has placed 100 Iranian individuals and entities under sanctions, including the head of the judiciary and commanders of the Revolutionary Guards. But critics argue that the measures have done little to stem the rising tide of executions, many of which are carried out after secret trials and confessions extracted under torture.
The data, compiled by Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, reveals that most of those executed were Kurdish or Baluch activists, protesters, and individuals convicted on spurious charges of “enmity against God” or “corruption on earth”. Women have also been disproportionately affected: female detainees are often subjected to sexual violence and forced to testify under duress. The relentless pace of executions has been described as a “blatant tool of state terror” by human rights lawyers.
Despite the UK’s rhetoric about standing with the Iranian people, the government’s sanctions policy has been heavily criticised for being slow, narrow in scope, and easily circumvented. The European Union has similarly faced accusations of timidity, with its travel bans and asset freezes described as “window dressing” by campaigners. At the same time, Iran continues to sell oil to China and Russia, circumventing Western restrictions with the help of middlemen and swapped vessels. The UK’s attempts to extradite or prosecute Iranian torturers have also stalled, with the regime refusing to cooperate and maintaining diplomatic cover for its officials.
For the families of victims, the wait for justice is interminable. Maryam Rezaei, whose son was hanged in 2021, told reporters: “The British government promises solidarity, but what good is a Facebook post or a speech in Parliament? We need real action: cutting all economic ties, closing the embassy in Tehran, and treating the IRGC as the terrorist organisation it is.” The UK government, however, has so far resisted calls to proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), citing concerns about diplomatic repercussions and the risk of retaliatory attacks on British soil.
Treasury minister Gareth Davies defended the government’s record, pointing to new powers to impose sanctions on human rights abusers from any country, introduced in the Economic Crime Act. “We are using every tool at our disposal,” he said. “But sanctions are not a silver bullet. We must work with allies to maximise pressure, and we are seeing results: Iran’s economy is under severe strain.” Yet the executions continue to rise, and many MPs argue that the government’s approach amounts to a “comfortable compromise” that prioritises business as usual over human rights.
The Foreign Office is now under pressure to launch a formal review of its sanctions regime, with a focus on ensuring that companies trading with Iran are held to account. Human rights organisations have also called for a “Magnitsky-style” designation of all Iranian officials connected to the execution system, as well as visa bans for their family members. As the death toll mounts, the chasm between British rhetoric and reality yawns ever wider, leaving many to wonder: what will it take for the government to treat the murder of political opponents as a crisis, and not just a headline?
