Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); June 12, 2022: Four Baluch men have been executed on murder and drug-related charges in Zabol Prison.
According to Hal Vash, four Baluch men were executed in Zabol Prison on the morning of 11 June. Their identities have been reported as Zahak-resident, Esmail (Sakhi) Zarouzehi who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges, 27-year-old Aminollah Barahouyi (Narouyi), known as Mehrollah and 34-year-old Sanollah Bahadorzehi (Narouyi), both Zahak natives who were also sentenced to death for drug-related charges in the same case.
The identity of the fourth man who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, has been reported as Rasam Poudineh.
On 10 June, Iran Human Rights had called for their execution to be halted after they were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
According to reports compiled by Iran Human Rights, at least 126 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2021, a fivefold increase compared to drug executions in the previous three years. None of the 2021 drug-related executions were reported by official sources. Data gathered by Iran Human Rights also shows that Baluch prisoners accounted for 21% of all executions in 2021, while only representing 2–6% of Iran’s population.
Iran Human Rights’s latest report also found that 25% of the 168 recorded executions in the first five months of 2022 were Baluch minorities.