Group Hanging of 3 Men in Tabriz

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were executed Tabriz Central Prison on 1st March. The identities of two of the men who were sentenced to death on drug-related charges, have been established as 36-year-old Hassan Fathi (left photo) from Hashtroud and 33-year-old Ramin Alayi from Tabriz.

The third man was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. His identity has been established as 26-year-old Mohammad Araghi (right photo) from Tabriz.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Hassan Fathi and Ramin Alayi were arrested in separate cases three years ago and Mohammad Araghi was arrested four years ago.

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 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.

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.