3 Men Hanged for Drug Offences in Mashhad

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 4 August 2025. His identity has been established as Davoud Lejei (left photo), a 37-year-old Baluch man. He was arrested in Mashhad on 14 August 2022 and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “According to a letter from the Mashhad judiciary dated 5 January 2025, a retrial was ordered due to the ambiguities in Davoud’s case. Furthermore, based on information available in the Judiciary’s public information system, a review was scheduled for 18 November 2025, clearly indicating that the case was ongoing. Despite these documents, the sentence was carried out secretly and without informing the family. His relatives were given no opportunity for a final meeting and only learned of the matter informally after the execution had taken place.”

Two other men were executed at the prison on 6 August. One of the men has been identified as Javad Yousefi (right photo), a 44-year-old father of one from Kashmar. HRANA News Agency has reported the second man’s identity as Omid Azizian. Both men on death row for drug-related offences.

“Javad Yousefi was arrested around four years ago and had consistently denied possession and knowledge of the drugs attributed to him. He was also executed without prior notice to his family and denied a last visit,” the source added.

None of their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran at the time of writing.

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. At least 347 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first seven months of 2025.