Hamed Sargazi and Esmail Hajizadeh Executed in Hamedan

According to HRANA news agency, two men were executed in Hamedan Central Prison on 29 August. Their identities have been reported as Hamed Sargazi and Esmail Hajizadeh. They were arrested around three years ago and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

At the time of writing, neither of their executions has been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year for the past three years. At least 206 people were executed for drug-related charges in the first six months of 2023, a 126% rise compared to the same period in 2022 when 91 were executed. 40 people were executed in the same period in 2021.

The number of drug executions dramatically dropped in 2018 following a 2017 Amendment to the Anti-Narcotics Laws. Consequently, drug executions ranged between 24-30 per annum between 2018-2020. The Amendment was reversed in practice in 2021 when executions increased ten-fold to 126 in 2021 and doubled again in 2022 with 256 drug-related executions.