Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 25, 2025: Abdol Sabzi, Shamsollah Kheiri and Mehdi Kazemi were executed for drug-related and murder charges in Isfahan Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 21 August 2025. Their identities have been established as 34-year-old Abdol Sabzi from Khorramabad, 27-year-old Shamsollah Kheiri, a ceramist from Ghaemshahr and 37-year-old Mehdi Kazemi (photo) from Falavarjan.
Abdol and Shamsollah were arrested around three years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges in separate cases. Mehdi was arrested 11 years ago and sentenced to qisas(retribution-in-kind) for murder.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media.
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.