Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 16 September 2026: Hadi Hassanlu, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Shiraz Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 20 September 2026. His identity has been established as Hadi Hassanlu, a 36-year-old father of one from Maragheh.
He was arrested around eighteen months ago, accused of carrying 12 kilograms of shisheh(methamphetamine) and heroin and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.
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.