100 Drug Executions in 2021 as 4 Baluch Men Executed in Zahedan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four Baluch men were executed in Zahedan Central Prison on November 13. The identities of the men who were sentenced to death for drug-related offences have been established as brothers, Sa’adollah Kharkouhi and Abidollah Kharkouhi, and Mahboub Rakhshani and Mahmoud Barahouyi.

The Baluch Activists Campaign which first reported the executions, stated that Sa’adollah and Abdidollah Kharkouhi were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment and a 100 million Tomans fine by the court.

At the time of writing, their executions have 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 100 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.