2 Group Hangings of 8 and 4 Men in Karaj

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least eight men were executed in a group hanging in Ghezelhesar Prison on 8 October 2025. Three of the men who were on death row for drug-related offences have been identified as Ahmad Mohammadi (far left photo), Hamzeh Saki and Hassan Zare.

Hamshahri Newspaper also reported the executions of five men at the prison. Four of those executed were sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder and one was on death row for rape. Only one of the murder defendants is named by the first name Pedram in the report.

IHRNGO has established the identity of another one of the murder defendants as Mahmoud Valiollahi (far right photo).

On the same day, a group hanging of four men took place at Karaj Penitentiary (Central Prison) which is located next to Ghezelhesar Prison. They have been identified as Milad Yari (centre right photo), Arman Kakavand (centre left photo), Bahman Shah Hosseini and Ali Saeedzadeh Fahimi who were all sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

Only five of the twelve executions were 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 517 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first nine months of 2025.