Afghans Mohammadshah Achakzehi and Rahim Achakzehi Hanged in Mashhad

According to Haal Vsh, two Afghan men were executed in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 12 December. Their identities have been reported as 22-year-old Mohammadshah Achakzehi (left photo) and 24-year-old Rahim Achakzehi (right photo) who were arrested for drug-related offences in Mashhad around two years ago.

They were sentenced to death by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court.

Abdolkarim Shokati Teimuri was previously reported to have been executed at the prison that day, bringing the total number to three.

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. In the first six months of 2024, at least 147 people were executed for the charges.

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.”