Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 17 June 2026: Omar Shahbakhsh and Ghafour Shahbakhsh, two Baluch men, and Mohammadreza Malekzadeh were executed for drug-related offences in Yazd Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Yazd Central Prison on 16 June 2026. Their identities have been established as 23-year-old Omar Shahbakhsh (right photo) and 25-year-old Ghafour Shahbakhsh (left photo) two Baluch men from Zahedan. They were arrested four and a half years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges in a joint case.
Another man was hanged at the prison on 12 June. His identity has been established as Mohammadreza Maleki from Yazd. He was also on death row for drug-related offences and was transferred for execution from Ardakan Prison.
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.