A US-based rights group has unveiled an interactive map detailing 45 years of state violence by Iran domestically and internationally, with records of 862 extrajudicial executions and 124 cases of death threats, attempted kidnappings and assassinations.
Titled "Iran: State Violence Beyond Borders," the report by the Washington-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for Human Rights in Iran (ABC) details state violence carried out in countries across the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Africa.
The foundation noted that at least 452 cases occurred outside Iran in countries including Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, France, and Canada. They often involved Iranian officials, diplomats, and agents who have largely escaped accountability.
“This interactive map represents a critical tool to advance efforts to document and expose incidents of extrajudicial violence carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Roya Boroumand, the foundation’s executive director.
“We hope this project moves the international community to systematically monitor and investigate these violations, prioritizing transparency and justice for the victims who have been left in the dark for far too long.”
Prominent cases include multiple kidnapping plots targeting journalist Masih Alinejad, alleged assassination attempts against Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton, and efforts to surveil Iranian dissidents abroad.
The map also highlights incidents and threats documented in London, including those targeting Iran International presenters Fardad Farahzad and Sima Sabet, Iranian dissident rapper Hichkas, and women’s rights activist Fariba Baluch.
"The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center's map demonstrates, for the first time, the extent of Iran's global assassinations, kidnapping, and hostage-taking,” said Pulitzer-prize winning historian, Anne Applebaum "The Iranian regime has turned the world into a chessboard for its own deadly game, the silencing of dissent."
The foundation said that perpetrators often evade justice due to weak responses by host governments. In some cases, suspects were allowed to flee, received early releases, or faced downgraded charges unrelated to the political nature of their crimes. Such failures, ABC warned, embolden Iranian authorities.
"The perpetrators behind these crimes cannot be allowed to continue to benefit from impunity, and governments and international institutions must urgently ensure effective remedy and reparation to victims," said Nazanin Boniadi, actress and human rights advocate.
Last week, the US State Department, in its annual Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT), denounced Iran for orchestrating or supporting plots against dissidents and other perceived enemies abroad.
The report also detailed threats against Iran International, highlighting a 2023 conviction by a British court of a man who attempted to gather information for “terrorist purposes.”