Group Hanging of 3 Men for Drug Offences in Hamedan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Hamedan Central Prison on 23 July 2025. Their identities have been established as 35-year-old Mehdi Heidari, a Kurdish man from Kermanshah, 30-year-old Jabar Alishahi from Khorramabad and Ashkan Mehdi Panah from Hamedan.

Jabar and Ashkan were arrested four years ago and Mehdi, five years ago. They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court in separate cases.

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. In the first six months of 2025, at least 293 people were executed for drug-related offences.