Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 28 January 2026: At least six men were executed in Rasht Central Prison between 7 to 18 January. Five of them have been identified as Mehran Shokat, Mousa Rahbar, Taher Yazdani, Ali Zadakbari and Mansour Asghari.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 7 January 2026. His identity has been established as Mehran Shokat, a 27-year-old man arrested three years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.
Furthermore, two other men were hanged at the prison on 11 January. Their identities have been established as 27-year-old Mousa Rahbar from Lahijan and 52-year-old Taher Yazdani, a father of four from Rasht. Mousa was arrested three years ago and Taher was arrested five years ago for a murder that occurred during a clash between two families in their village. They were both sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
Moreover, three men were hanged at the prison on 18 January. Two of them have been identified as Ali Zadakbari, a 29-year-old father from Ghaand 47-year-old Mansour Asghari from Sari. The identity of the third man has not been established at the time of writing. Ali was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. Mansour was arrested for an honour killing three years ago and the unidentified man was also on death row for murder.
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 697 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first eleven months of 2025.