Political Prisoner Rostam Zeinoldini and Abdolsamad Shahbazi Hanged in Zahedan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Zahedan Central Prison on 26 April 2025. One of their identities has been established as 30-year-old Rostam Zeinoldini (right photo), a Baluch father of two from the village of Sourja in Sistan and Baluchistan province. The political prisoner was arrested mid-2023 and subsequently sentenced to death on security-related charges for alleged links to Jaish al-Adl.

The second man’s identity has been established as Abdolsamad Shahbazi (left photo), a 28-year-old Baluch man from Zahedan. He was arrested for drug-related offences around two years ago and sentenced to death.

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. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.