Brothers Mostafa and Javad Karabi and Ali Afzali Hanged for Drug Offences in Sabzevar

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Sabzevar Prison on 15 July 2026. Their identities have been established as 35-year-old Mostafa Karabi and 30-year-old Javad Karabi, two brothers from Sabzevar.  

They were arrested around four years ago with their co-defendant Ali Afzali and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Ali Afzali (photo), the third defendant in the case, was executed at the prison on 19 August. He was 33 years old and from Sabzevar.

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 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 795 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only 0.18% were announced by official sources. 13% of all drug-related executions in 2025 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.

In December 2025, IHRNGO published a report titled “A Village of Graves: Widespread and Systematic Drug Executions in Iran,” which provides an overview of drug laws and documents the systematic violation of due process and fair trial rights in drug cases.