Meisam Gholami and Ghasem Rahmatzehi Secretly Hanged for Drug Offences in Birjand

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Birjand Central Prison on 15 October 2025. His identity has been established as Ghasem Rahmatzehi (left photo), a 50-year-old Baluch father of seven. He was arrested in Birjand around three years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. Ghasem was executed without notification, while Iranian law requires the defendant’s family or representative to be notified 48 hours prior to executions. His family were informed of his hanging after the execution.

Furthermore, a man identified as Meisam Gholami (right photo), 30, was hanged at the prison on 14 October. A Quchan native, he was arrested in the Sahl Abad region three years ago and sentenced to death on drug charges by the Birjand Revolutionary Court. Meisam’s family were also only notified of the execution after it had been carried out.

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. At least 517 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first nine months of 2025.