Iran | Executions in Gorgan, Malayer, Khorramabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 5 February 2026: Iraj Mostafavi, Bakhtiar Shahabi and Hassan Alayi-Bakhsh were executed for separate murders in Gorgan Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, three men were hanged in Gorgan Central Prison on 4 February 2026. Their identities have been established as 43-year-old Iraj Mostafavi, Bakhtiar Shahabi and 28-year-old Hassan Alayi-Bakhsh.

Iraj was arrested for an “honour killing” around three years ago, Bakhtiar was arrested around six years ago and Hassan was arrested for a murder that took place in the course of a street fight three years ago. They were all sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.

At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Those charged with the umbrella term of “intentional murder” are sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) regardless of intent or circumstances due to a lack of grading in law. Once a defendant has been convicted, the victim’s family are required to choose between death as retribution, diya (blood money) or forgiveness.

Crucially, while an indicative diya amount is set by the Judiciary every year, there is no legal limit to how much can be demanded by families of the victims. IHRNGO has recorded many cases where defendants are executed because they cannot afford to pay the blood money. Should the victim’s family choose execution, they are not only encouraged to attend, but also to physically carry out the execution themselves.

Execution in Malayer

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 31 January 2026: Nima Afshari, a man on death row for murder, was executed in Malayer Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Malayer Prison, Hamedan province, on 28 January 2026. His identity has been established as 28-year-old Nima Afshari. He was arrested for a murder committed during a street fight four years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.

Execution in Khorramabad

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 31 January 2026: Hatam Shamshiri, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison.

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Khorramabad Central Prison on 31 January 2026. His identity has been established as Hatam Shamshiri from Aligudarz. He was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges 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 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 697 people were executed for drug-related offences in the first eleven months of 2025.

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.

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, February 5, January 31, 2026

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde

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