Baluch Alireza Sargolzayi Executed in Mashhad

According to Haalvsh, a Baluch man was executed in Mashhad Central Prison (Vakil Abad) on 30 April. His identity has been reported as 25-year-old Alireza Sargolzayi from Zahedan who sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Alireza was arrested for being in possession of the raw materials for the production of narcotics around three years ago.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020. Baluch minorities who constitute 2-6% of Iran’s population, made up 30% of drug executions in 2023.

On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”