Siavosh Afrashteh Hanged for Drug Offences in Rasht

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Rasht Central Prison on 6 June 2026. His identity has been established as 27-year-old Siavosh Afrashteh from Rasht. He was arrested around three years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Multiple efforts had been made to commute his sentence to imprisonment. About 20 days ago, the court had even verbally assured his family that the administrative process for overturning and commuting his death sentence was underway. His family spent their days living with this hope, but the judiciary went back on its promise and suddenly carried out his sentence on Saturday.”

At the time of writing, his execution not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 795 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only 0.18% were announced by official sources. 13% of all drug-related executions in 2025 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.