Iran | Afghan Citizen Executed in Wheelchair Due to Severe Mobility Disability

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Iranian authorities have reportedly executed an Afghan citizen, identified as Valijan Nourzay, at the central prison in Rafsanjan, according to the human rights organization Hengaw.

Hengaw said in a statement on Sunday, September 6, that Nourzay was executed early Wednesday last week at Rafsanjan Central Prison.

According to the organization, Nourzay had a severe mobility disability and was executed while in a wheelchair.

Hengaw, citing informed sources, reported that Nourzay had been pursued by Iranian authorities three years ago over an alleged murder. He was reportedly seriously wounded after Iranian security forces opened fire on him in Rafsanjan before being arrested and later sentenced to death.

The organization said the injuries caused by the gunfire were so severe that Nourzay spent the past three years in prison in a wheelchair after losing his ability to walk.

“The gunshot injuries were so severe that Nourzay lost his mobility and spent the following three years in prison using a wheelchair. He was ultimately hanged while seated in the wheelchair,” Hengaw said.

Nourzay was originally from Farah city, the provincial capital of Farah province in western Afghanistan, according to the organization.

Iranian authorities have not publicly confirmed Nourzay’s execution.

Iran has continued to execute Afghan nationals in significant numbers since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. According to the Iran Human Rights organization, at least 84 Afghan citizens were executed in Iran in 2025 alone.

The use of the death penalty has continued to rise in 2026. According to the Norway-based Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Iranian authorities executed at least 109 prisoners in June 2026, including five Afghan nationals. The figure was 10 percent higher than the 99 executions documented in June 2025. Hengaw’s Statistics and Documentation Center said it had verified the identities of all 109 prisoners, while only seven of the executions were officially reported by Iranian authorities or judiciary-affiliated sources.

Iran remains among the world’s leading users of the death penalty, with capital punishment imposed for offences including murder, drug-related crimes, and certain security charges. Separate figures from Iran Human Rights show that at least 370 people had been executed in Iran since the beginning of 2026, including nine women and 11 Afghan nationals. Rights groups say the actual number is likely higher because many executions are not publicly announced and the identities of some prisoners remain unknown.

Iran is home to millions of Afghan migrants and refugees, many of whom have fled prolonged conflict and economic hardship in Afghanistan. Rights organizations have raised concerns about the treatment of Afghan nationals in Iran’s judicial system, including alleged shortcomings in due process, access to legal representation, and transparency, particularly for vulnerable migrant communities.

Source: kabulnow.com, Staff, September 7, 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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