Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 3 August 2026: Mohammad Ali Narouyi and Mohammad Bakhsh Shahbakhsh, two Baluch men on death row for drug-related offences, were executed in Damghan Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least two Baluch men were hanged in Damghan Prison on 1 August 2026. Their identities have been established as 50-year-old Mohammad Ali Narouyi (right photo) and 42-year-old Mohammad Bakhsh Shahbakh (left photo). They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Mohammad Bakhsh Shahbakhsh, also married and a father of five from Zahedan, was arrested roughly four and a half years ago. Mohammad Ali Narouyi, a married father of four, was arrested five years ago. He was merely transporting goods for someone else and had no idea the cargo contained narcotics. He was detained at a checkpoint while the real owner of the load fled. The court dismissed his defence and ultimately sentenced him to death for a crime he did not commit.”
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.