Parviz Yousefzehi Secretly Hanged for Drug Offences in Gonabad

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was secretly hanged in Gonabad Prison, Khorasan Razavi province, on 16 September 2025. His identity has been established as Parviz Yousefzehi, a 27-year-old Baluch man Zahedan who lived in Sari.

He was arrested around five years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. Parviz’s execution was carried out without his family being notified.

At the time of writing, his execution has 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. At least 426 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first eight months of 2025.