Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); November 7, 2021: Yasser Gargij, a Baluch man sentenced to death on drug-related charges, was carried out in Zahedan Central Prison on November 6. At least 96 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 November 6. His identity has been reported as Yasser Gargij who was arrested and sentenced to death in 2017 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 96 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.