Farshid Rakhshanirad Executed on Drug Charges in Birjand

According to the Baluch Activists Campaign, a man was executed in Birjand Central Prison on the morning of September 15. His identity has been established as Mashhad-native, Farshid Rakhshanirad, who was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 25 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2020. However, at least 72 people have so far been executed on the same charge in 2021.

On May 3, IHR published a report on the death penalty in the first four months of 2021 expressing concern at the significant increase in the number of drug-related executions and continues to warn of the continuation of this trend.