Group Hanging of 3 Men Including Afghan in Zanjan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Zanjan Central Prison on 17 November 2025. Their identities have been established as Omid Farokhnejad, Jahangir Hesari (photo), a 60-year-old family elder from Tabriz and Assad Pirbab, a 30-year-old Afghan national who lived in Bamian.

Jahangir and Assad were arrested around two years ago in separate cases. All three men were sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

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. At least 612 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first ten months of 2025.