Mohammad Farshad Barekzehi Secretly Hanged for Drug Offences in Gonabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); September 21, 2025: Mohammad Farshad Barekzehi, a Baluch man on death row for drug-related offences, was secretly executed in Gonabad Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Gonabad Prison on 17 September 2025. His identity has been established as Mohammad Farshad Barekzehi, a 28-year-old Baluch man from Zahedan.

He was arrested for on one of the transit routes in Gonabad county in the summer of 2021 and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court. Informed sources told IHRNGO: “He repeatedly denied ownership of the confiscated substances and testified that he had no knowledge of them. Nevertheless, his execution was carried out without informing his family and while he was deprived of the right to a final visit.”

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.