Brothers Gholamhossein and Ebrahim Khalilifar Hanged in Mashhad

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two brothers were hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 1st March 2025. Their identities have been established as Gholamhossein Khalilifar (right photo) and Ebrahim Khalilifar (left photo) from the village of Cheshmeh Gol in Torbat Jam. They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court in a joint case. Informed sources told IHRNGO that they were executed despite “Ebrahim taking full responsibility for the discovered drugs.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 

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.