Twenty-seven prisoners in Iran have been executed since last Friday, including a dozen killed on Wednesday alone.

It comes as the islamic Republic has already carried out hundreds of executions this year in a near-record killing spree.

Reports from Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization reveal that seven prisoners died in Karaj Central Prison on Wednesday. Among them were three prisoners sentenced to death for "intentional murder," three for drug-related offenses, and one for "moharebeh" (waging war against God).

Also on Wednesday, five prisoners were executed in jails in in Ahvaz, Sanandaj, Qom, Zahedan, Babol and Kermanshah, with charges ranging from "murder" to "drug-related offenses."

Iran's Human Rights Organization had previously reported on November 30 that the total number of executions carried out by the Islamic Republic in 2023 had already reached a staggering 707 individuals, an unprecedented figure in the past eight years.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the subject of Iran's alarming execution rate in his October report to the General Assembly on human rights violations. He expressed deep concern, revealing that at least 419 executions had occurred in the first seven months of the year alone, representing a shocking 30% increase compared to the same period in 2022. Over half of the individuals sentenced to death were found guilty of charges related to drug crimes.

Amnesty International reports that Iran consistently ranks second globally in terms of annual executions, surpassed only by China.