According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Ghezel Hesar Prison on 21 October 2026. His identity has been established as Javad Baranizadeh. He was arrested around three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder by the Criminal Court.
At the time of writing, his execution has 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 mitigating factors 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.
According to IHRNGO’s 2025 Annual Report on the Death Penalty, at least 747 people, including 48 women, were executed for murder charges, the highest number of qisas executions since 2010. Under 7% of the recorded qisas executions were announced by official sources. In 2025, IHRNGO also recorded 566 cases of families choosing diya or forgiveness instead of qisas executions. In the first nine months of 2026, at least 306 people were executed for murder charges.
Executions in Mashhad
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 24 October 2026: Issa Narouyi, a Baluch man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison. Abdollah Narouyi, another Baluch man was previously reported to have been executed at the prison that day.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 20 October 2026. His identity has been established as Issa Narouyi, a 30-year-old Baluch man from a Zahedan village. He was arrested around a year ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
IHRNGO previously reported the hanging of Abdollah Narouyi, bringing the total number of executions to two at the prison that day.
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 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. In the first nine months of 2026, at least 211 people were executed for drug-related charges.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 20 October 2026. His identity has been established as Issa Narouyi, a 30-year-old Baluch man from a Zahedan village. He was arrested around a year ago and sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
IHRNGO previously reported the hanging of Abdollah Narouyi, bringing the total number of executions to two at the prison that day.
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 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. In the first nine months of 2026, at least 211 people were executed for drug-related charges.
Execution in Semnan
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 23 October 2026: Mojtaba Gerayi, a man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Semnan Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Semnan Central Prison on 21 October 2026. His identity has been established as Mojtaba Gerayi, a 38-year-old father of two from Semnan.
He was arrested for carrying more than ten kilograms of heroin 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.
Executions in Shiraz
Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 23 October 2026: Navid Mehdipour, Valid Hassani and Shahram Babanzadeh were executed in Shiraz Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 18 October 2026. Their identities have been established as 33-year-old Valid Hassani from Masjed Soleiman and 30-year-old Shahram Babanzadeh from Bojnourd. Valid was arrested two years ago and Shahram was arrested three years ago. They were both sentenced to death on drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told IHRNGO, "Prior to his arrest, Shahram was a car mechanic and lived with his mother and sister. His mother suffered from a severe illness, and Shahram had been forced to turn to selling drugs to cover the monthly cost of 52 million tomans for her chemotherapy."
Another man was hanged at the prison on 21 October. He has been identified as 27-year-old Navid Mehdipour who was arrested three years ago and sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for the murder of his friend.
IHRNGO previously reported the execution of Borjali Taghizadeh-Amirsalari and Farshad Jamalabadi, bringing the total number of executions at the prison to three that day.
At the time of writing, their executions have not been reported by domestic media or officials in Iran.
Execution in Mashhad
ran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 20 October 2026: Abdollah Narouyi, a Baluch man on death row for drug-related offences, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Mashhad (Vakil Abad) Central Prison on 20 October 2026. His identity has been established as Abdollah Narouyi, a 43-year-old Baluch father of five. He was a Zahedan native who resided in Mashhad.
He was arrested around three 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.
Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, October 22-25, 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
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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