Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 2 October 2026: Shahin Babayi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Tabriz Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Tabriz Central Prison on 28 September 2026. His identity has been established as 27-year-old Shahin Babayi from Tabriz. He was arrested five years ago and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “Shahin worked as an apprentice at a bicycle repair shop. The shop owner, named Mansour [family name withheld by Iran Human Rights], concealed drugs inside the shop among the bicycle tyres. One day, Mansour instructed Shahin to go to the bus terminal and collect a 10-kilogram sack of rice that had been sent for him."
"Shahin went to the terminal and picked up the sack of rice, but as soon as he arrived at the shop door, he was arrested by officers. Inside the sack of rice, officers discovered a large quantity of shisheh(methamphetamine). At that moment, the shop owner falsely claimed that he didn’t know Shahin at all and that he wasn’t his apprentice. In court, Shahin repeatedly stated that he had been duped and believed he was carrying nothing more than a bag of rice. No drugs were found inside the repair shop during subsequent searches and the Revolutionary Court rejected the young worker's defence and sentenced him to death,” the source added.
At the time of writing, his execution has 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.