Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); October 24, 2021: Baluch prisoner Nazarnaz Ghanbarzehi who was on death row for drug-related charges has been executed in Zahedan Central Prison. At least 94 prisoners, including a woman, have been executed on drug-related charges in Iranian prisons in 2021.
According to the Baluch Activists Campaign, a Baluch man was executed in Zahedan Central Prison on the morning of October 21. His identity has been reported as Nazarnaz Ghanbarzehi who was sentenced to death in 2018 for drug-related offences.
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 94 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.