Khalil Afghan Hanged for Drug Offences in Zahedan

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Zahedan Central Prison on 13 September 2026. His identity has been established as Khalil Afghan, a 25-year-old Afghan national who was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.

Khalil was transferred from Chabahar Prison to the prison with his co-defendant, Asghar Pishahang, on 8 September.

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.