Massoud Khodayari and Behnam Mozafarzadeh Hanged for Drug Offences in Rasht

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison on 11 October 2026. Their identities have been established as Massoud Khodayari and 40-year-old Behnam Mozafarzadeh, two Lahijan natives.

Massoud was arrested two years ago and Behnam awas arrested around four years ago.They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

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. In the first nine months of 2026, at least 211 people were executed for drug-related charges.