Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO – Four Baluch men named Bashir Ahmad Rigi, Davod Shahouzehi, Ramin Alizehi and Majid Lejei were hanged for drug-related offences in Zahedan Central Prison. Three other men were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.
According to the Baloch Activists Campaign, four men were hanged in Zahedan Central Prison on 12 April 2025. Their identities have been reported as 38-year-old Bashir Ahmad Rigi, Davod Shahouzehi (Bajizehi) Ramin Alizehi (Rahmatollah Kalbali) and 36-year-old Majid Lejei who were all from Zahedan. They were sentenced to death on drug-related charges.
Ramin Alizehi was undocumented according to the report.
On 11 April, three other Baluch men were transferred to the pre-execution solitary confinement cells of the prison.
At the time of writing, none of their executions have been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Drug-related executions have continuously risen every year since 2021. According to IHRNGO’s 2024 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 503 people were executed for drug-related charges, of which only under 3% were announced by official sources. 17% of all drug-related executions in 2024 were Baluch minorities while they represent 2-6% of Iran’s population.
On 10 April 2024, 80+ Iranian and international organisations and groups called for joint action to stop drug-related executions, urging UNODC to make “any cooperation with the Islamic Republic contingent on a complete halt on drug-related executions.”
