Baluch Jaber Aminifar Executed in Birjand

According to Hal Vash, a Baluch man was executed in Birjand Central Prison on 30 April. His identity has been reported as Jaber Aminifar from the village of Shoghalak who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Courts.

Three other Baluch minorities were executed at the prison that day. Abdullah Zarouzehi and co-defendants Mohammad Shibak and Madineh Sabzevan were also sentenced to death for drug-related charges.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Since 30 April, at least 14 Baluch men and women have been executed in Zahedan, Birjand, Mashhad, Bandarabbas, Minab and Iranshahr prisons.

Ethnic minorities, the Baluch in particular, are grossly overrepresented in execution numbers in Iran. In 2022, at least 174 Baluch minorities including 3 women, were executed in 22 prisons across Iran, making up 30% of overall executions. This is while they represent just 2-6% of Iran’s population.

Baluch minorities also represented almost half of drug-related executions in 2022. 47.3% of the 256 people executed for drug-related charges were Baluch.

According to reports gathered by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at least 256 people were executed for drug-related offences in 2022, a more than two-fold increase compared to 2021 (126) and ten times more than 2020 (25).