Massoud Nemati and Esmail Ajami Hanged for Drug Offences; Around 30 Men on Death Row in Sari

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Sari Central Prison on 26 August 2026. Their identities have been established as Massoud Nemati, a 42-year-old father of two, and Esmail Ajami, a 39-year-old father of one. They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges in a joint case by the Revolutionary Court.

An informed source told IHRNGO: “Massoud and Esmail were both bus drivers on the Sari to Rasht route. Around three years ago, they were arrested after 11 kilograms of shisheh (methamphetamines) and opium were discovered on the bus.”

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

“Around 30 death-row prisoners are currently being held in Sari Prison, most of them on drug-related offences. Among them are three brothers whose death sentences have been upheld by Branch 7 of the Supreme Court. The judiciary has completely confiscated all of the family's assets, including their house, car, orchard property and even the home bought for their parents. Authorities justified the seizure on the pretext that the family previously owned nothing and that the assets were acquired through drug trafficking,” the informed source said.

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.