Group Hanging of at Least 6 Baluch Men in Zahedan; 2 Others Await Gallows

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least six Baluch men were hanged in Zahedan Central Prison on 20 July 2025. Three of the men have been identified as 35-year-old Abdoljalil Dorakzehi (left photo), 43-year-old Nematollah Shahnavazi (right photo) and 24-year-old Nasir (Dariush) Shahbakhsh (middle photo). The fourth man has only been identified as Mr Ghaljayi and the other two men remain unidentified at the time of writing.

They were all sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Abdoljalil was from the village of Chah Ahmad in Zahedan and had been arrested at his home around five years ago. He was a sookhtbar (person who transfers fuel across the border) and had consistently denied the drug charges in court. Nematollah was from Khash and had also been arrested around five years ago. Nasir was from the village of Golchat in Zahedan. He was arrested around five years ago when narcotics were discovered in his storage. He had also denied knowledge or possession of the drugs.”

Two other unidentified men have been transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells of the prison.

At the time of writing, none of their executions have 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. In the first six months of 2025, at least 293 people were executed for drug-related offences.