Hossein Yousefzehi and Homayoun Nourzehi Hanged for Drug Offences in Zabol

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Zabol Prison on 21 June 2026. Their identities have been established as Hossein Yousefzehi (photo), a Baluch man, and Homayoun Nourzehi, a 70-year-old Afghan man from Kunduz. They were both sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.

Homayoun was arrested at the Milak border crossing, 200 kilometres from Zahedan 19 months ago.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Hossein Yousefzehi was initially arrested 28 years ago on narcotics charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. After serving 23 years of his term, he qualified for conditional release. However, approximately five years ago, he was detained again under a new case for the possession of nearly 47 grams of illicit substances, resulting in a capital sentence and his subsequent execution after serving a total of 28 years."

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 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.

In December 2025, IHRNGO published a report titled “A Village of Graves: Widespread and Systematic Drug Executions in Iran,” which provides an overview of drug laws and documents the systematic violation of due process and fair trial rights in drug cases.