Baluch Asef Shehbakhsh Executed in Zahedan

According to Hal Vash, a Baluch man executed in Zahedan Central Prison on 20 May. His identity has been reported as 30-year-old Asef Shehbakhsh. He was sentenced to qisas for murder.

He was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution on 18 May.

According to the report, Asef Shehbakhsh was previously transferred for execution on 18 December 2022 but had managed to buy time from the victim’s family.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

According to the 2022 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 582 people were executed in Iran. Of those, 288 were executed for murder charges.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.