Global Bodies Call for Death Penalty Moratorium

United Nations experts have urged Iran to stop executions, warning that capital punishment is used to silence dissent and that executions risk fueling further unrest; rights groups have reported widespread executions and deaths during government crackdowns. The European Union and Council of Europe say recorded executions rose 78% in 2025, with most in Iran and increases in several other countries, while executions also continued in the United States and China is believed to have carried out thousands. They called on countries that retain the death penalty to impose a moratorium and move toward abolition, while noting progress in some nations. The Holy See’s representative to the U.N. also called for abolition, arguing that capital punishment violates human dignity, risks irreversible miscarriages of justice and does not restore victims’ losses.