At least 29 people were executed in Iran on Wednesday, including 26 prisoners in one of the country's prisons, the BBC reported, citing human rights organizations.

In particular, the Norwegian Iran Human Rights organization stated that 26 people were executed in Gezelhezar prison in Kerej city near Tehran, and three more people were executed in Kerej city prison.

According to UN data, at least 345 death sentences were executed in the country this year, 15 of which were against women.

Those executed, including two Afghan nationals, were accused of murder, drug use and rape.

Other rights groups, including the US-based human rights news agency Human Rights Activists (HRANA) and the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), also confirmed that at least twenty people were executed in Kerej.

Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Iran of using the death penalty to instill fear in the public after the 2022 protests. Human rights activists estimate that Iran executes more people every year than any other country in the world except China.

"Without an immediate response from the international community, hundreds of people could become victims of the Islamic Republic's killing machine in the coming months," said IHR Director Mahmoud Amiri-Mughaddam.

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