Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); June 9, 2022: Mohammadreza Narouyi-Ghazagh, a Baluch man sentenced to death for drug-related offences, was executed in Birjand Central Prison.
According to Hal Vash, a Baluch man was executed in Birjand Central Prison on the morning 8 June. His identity has been reported as Mohammadreza Narouyi-Ghazagh from Zahedan. He was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
According to reports compiled by Iran Human Rights, at least 126 people were executed on drug-related charges in 2021, a fivefold increase compared to drug executions in the previous three years. None of the 2021 drug-related executions were reported by official sources. Data gathered by Iran Human Rights also shows that Baluch prisoners accounted for 21% of all executions in 2021, while only representing 2–6% of Iran’s population.
Iran Human Rights’ latest report also found that 25% of the 168 recorded executions in the first five months of 2022 were Baluch minorities.