Morteza Kazemzadeh and Mohammadreza Basiri Hanged in Semnan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Semnan Central Prison on 13 March 2025. Their identities have been established as 30-year-old Morteza Kazemzadeh (photo) from a village in Semnan and 27-year-old Mohammadreza Basiri from Shahroud. They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Morteza was arrested for drug offences around three years ago. He was a labourer prior to his arrest and had two children, he couldn’t make ends meet with his wages. He always said ‘I worked so I wouldn’t feel ashamed in front of my wife and children, I wanted to earn money so I could buy a bicycle for my son.’ He tried to sell drugs and was arrested that first time and sentenced to death.”

“Mohammadreza Basiri was arrested four years ago,” the source added.

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.”