Group Hanging of 3 Men in Shiraz

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 23 July 2025. Two of the men who were sentenced to death on drug-related charges have been identified as Behzad Gholamzadeh and 40-year-old Latif Kargar (photo) from Kashan. Behzad was arrested four years ago and Latif, around six years ago.

The third man has been identified as Saman Heidari from Shiraz. He was arrested six years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

According to IHRNGO sources, Behzad and Latif were transferred from Pirbanu Prison to Adel Abad for execution.

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.