Baluch Father of 10 Hamid Shirzayi Hanged for Drug Offences in Birjand

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Birjand Central Prison on 26 May 2025. His identity has been established as Hamid Shirazayi, a 39-year-old Baluch father of ten.

He was arrested at a checkpoint in Sahlabad around six years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “On Sunday, Hamid phoned his family to let them know of his transfer to solitary confinement. However, his family didn’t know when he was to be executed until it was carried out and didn’t manage to visit him for the last time.”

At the time of writing, his execution has 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. In the first four months of 2025, at least 169 people were hanged for drug-related offences.