Unidentified Baluch Man Executed in Zahedan

According to Hal Vash, at least one Baluch man was executed in Zahedan Central Prison on 18 October. His identity has been reported as Khodabkhash (surname unknown), who was around 27 and sentenced to death for rape charges.

An informed source said: “Khodabakhsh was arrested for rape charges in Saravan on 3 August 2022 and sentenced to death. He was transferred from the general ward of Zahedan Central Prison on 17 October and his sentence carried out this morning.”

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

In cases of rape, there is a high chance of defendants being tortured to make false confessions, which is used to issue death sentences. In Iran is one of the few countries in the world that issues the death penalty for rape. A lot of cases are also rushed without the defendants having access to a lawyer.

According to the 2022 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 23 people were executed for rape charges in 2022 compared to 10 in 2021 and 12 in 2020.