4 Men Hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison; 6 Others at Imminent Risk of Execution

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison on 28 August 2025. His identity has been established as Mehdi Raoufi who was sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

On 30 August, two other men were hanged for the same charges at the prison. They have been identified as Ahmad Ali Mehripour (left photo) and Hamid Kakavand (middle photo).

IHRNGO previously reported Ahmad Ali Mehripour’s execution on 27 August which was later amended when new information revealed his execution was postponed for unknown reasons that day.

Furthermore, another man was hanged at the prison on 31 August. His identity has been established as Soleiman Koushaki (right photo) who was also on death row for drug-related offences.

At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Per informed IHRNGO sources, six other prisoners have been transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells of Ghezelhesar Prison and are scheduled to be executed in the coming days. Two of the men have been identified as Sajad Sadeghi and Houman Geravand.

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.