Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 21 October 2026: Ali Asghar Sanei and Hassan Kavian, two men on death row for drug-related offences, were executed in Shahroud Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Shahroud Prison on 14 October 2026. Their identities have been established as Ali Asghar Sanei (photo) and Hassan Kavian. They were both sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
Ali Asghar was a 50-year-old father of four from Semnan. Per informed sources, “Prior to his arrest, Ali Asghar earned a living through masonry and tiling. He had no prior criminal record and, three years ago, attempted for the first time to transport nine kilograms of heroin from Semnan in his Peugeot 206 to deliver it in the city of Shahroud, where he was arrested and sentenced to death.”
Hassan was a 37-year-old father of one from Shahroud and was arrested four years ago.
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.