Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – At least seven men including two Kurdish-Iraqi nationals and a Baluch minority were executed in Isfahan Central Prison. Abdollah Barahouyi, Mehrdad Aspid, Shomal Mohammad Rashid, Ardalan Hossein Ali, Shahab Mokhtari, Abolfazl Ghaderzadeh and Meisam Panahi were all on death row for drug-related offences.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Isfahan (Dastgerd) Central Prison on 1 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Abdollah Barahouyi, a Baluch minority from Zahedan, and Mehrdad Aspid from Bandar Abbas. They were arrested in a joint case around six years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
The next day, on 2 December, a group hanging of five men was carried out at the prison. Two of the men have been identified as Shomal Mohammad Rashid and Ardalan Hossein Ali, two Kurdish-Iraqi relatives from Mosul who had been living in Iran for 25 years. Three years ago, while they were living in Isfahan, they were arrested for carrying 18 kilograms of narcotics and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court.
The other three men have been identified as Shahab Mokhtari, 29-year-old Abolfazl Ghaderzadeh and Meisam Panahi, a 37-year-old father of one. Shahab was arrested around four years ago, Abolfazl, three years ago and Meisam, less than two years ago. They were also all on death row for drug-related offences.
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 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. At least 612 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first ten months of 2025.
