3 Baluch Men Executed in Bam

According to HRANA news agency, three Baluch men were executed in Bam Central Prison on 11 May. Two of the men’s identities have been reported as Hamed Shehbakhsh and 28-year-old Saman Jarangideh (Malekzehi). The third man’s identity has not been reported. Hamed Shehbakhsh and Saman Jarangideh were sentenced to death for drug-related charges in the same case by the Revolutionary Court.

The Baluch Activists Campaign confirmed that they were all Baluch minorities.

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

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2023 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 471 people were executed for drug-related charges, an 84% increase compared to 2022 (256) and about 18 times the average of drug-related executions in 2018-2020.

On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”