Balochistan: Multiple Executions of Baloch Prisoners by Iranian Authorities

BW News: The Iranian authorities have executed several Baloch prisoners in the past few weeks, raising concerns over a sharp increase in death penalties, particularly among the Baloch population.

On Thursday, December 5, 2024, Mahdi Hossein Zahi, a 25-year-old Baloch prisoner from Mehrstan, was executed at Zahedan Central Prison.

According to the campaign, Mahdi was arrested in 2021 on charges of murder. He denied the accusation, claiming that he confessed to the crime based on a promise from the complainant that they would forgive him.

However, the victim’s family refused to pardon him and demanded the execution of his sentence. Mahdi had been held in Saravan Prison for two years before being transferred to Zahedan Central Prison in 2023.

His family was granted a final meeting with him just two days before his execution, on December 3, 2024.

Earlier executions reported by the campaign also took place at Zahedan Central Prison. On December 1, 2024, Ahmad Shah-Bakhsh (Khanshini), 33, was executed after being sentenced to death for murder in 2019.

Ahmad, a married father of two, was from Zahedan and had been held in various prisons before being transferred to Zahedan Central Prison for execution.

Additionally, on December 2, 2024, Khoda Noor Gorgij, 31, from Zabol, was executed after being convicted of murder.

The execution of Davood Mohammadi Takht-Shah(33) and Osman Dahmardeh(26) on November 28, 2024, following convictions for drug trafficking, also sparked controversy over the fairness and transparency of the Iranian Judicial system.

The two men were arrested in 2019 on the Yazd-Ardakan highway, but their families maintained that no drugs were found on their persons or in their vehicle. Despite this, their executions were carried out after nearly six years of legal proceedings.

Additionally, reports indicate that Reza Shirzai (Narouei), a 24-year-old Baloch from Zabol, was executed on November 27, 2024, in Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj after being convicted of murder. His family claims that he was wrongfully accused following a group altercation at a wedding.

Baloch analysts believe these executions are part of an ongoing pattern of capital punishment in Iranian prisons, particularly targeting Baloch people.

In the first half of 2024, at least 34 Baloch prisoners were executed, with Zahedan and Birjand prisons being notorious for carrying out a high number of death sentences.