Iran carried out the execution of at least seven prisoners across five prisons, according to reports. Among those executed, five were identified as Baloch citizens, and sentenced to death for charges related to drug offenses and murder.
Local Baloch news sources confirmed the executions, identifying the victims as Abdul Basit Tutazi, 38-year-old Nawab Ahal Rostai, Abdul Nasir Tutazi and his 38-year-old son Ameer Hamza, 33-year-old Nematullah Tutazi, 36-year-old Mohammad Ali, and 43-year old Reza Kharkohi.
Abdul Basit, Abdul Naser, and Nematullah were reportedly convicted in a joint case involving drug-related crimes, while Mohammad Ali and Reza Kharkohi were sentenced to death about seven years ago for similar offenses.
Two other inmates, including a woman, were also executed, though their identities remain undisclosed.
In the first half of 2024, Iran has reportedly executed at least 34 Baloch citizens, with 27 accused of drug-related crimes and seven convicted of murder. Human rights activists have long raised concerns about the disproportionate targeting of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities in death penalty cases, particularly Kurds in the northwest, Arabs in the southwest, and Baloch citizens in the southeast.