Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO): January 22, 2022: Three Baluch men were executed on drug-related charges in Zabol Prison on Thursday. On the same day, five Baluch and an Afghan man were executed in Zahedan Central Prison. Four were executed for drug offences and one for “moharebeh (enmity against god) through armed conflict with military forces.”
According to the Baluch Activist Campaign, three Baluch men were executed in Zabol Central Prison on the morning of January 20. Sentenced to death for drug offences, their identities have been established as Mohammad Amin Dehmardeh, Parviz Akbarirad and Jamaleddin Gargij.
Six men were also executed in Zahedan Central Prison on the same day. One of the men was an Afghan national named Khodanazar Kakar and had been sentenced to death for drug-related offences.
The other five who were all Baluch, have been identified as: Hosseinali Khomr, Abdolhamid Esmailzehi, Dadshah Sarani, Ataollah Barahouyi and Mehrollah Dehmardeh, known as Mehrab Shahouzi.
Hosseinali Khomr, Ataollah Barahouyi and Mehrollah Dehmardeh were sentenced to death on drug-related charges. Abdolhamid Esmailzehi was sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh (enmity against god) through armed conflict with military forces” and Dadshah Sarani was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.
At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
According to Iran Human Rights’ Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, at least 25 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2020.
On December 10, Iran Human Rights warned again of the rise in drug-related executions, which is now at a four-year record high and called on the international community for a prompt reaction.