At least five Baloch prisoners have reportedly been executed by Iranian authorities over the past three days, as concerns mount over the rising use of the death penalty in the country.
According to the Iran-administered Balochistan media outlet Haalvsh, two Baloch men, 32-year-old Nadeem Dawoodi, son of Dur Mohammed, and 30-year-old Iman, son of Yahya, were executed on Monday in Kahnuj Prison, located in Kerman Province. Both had been arrested in 2019 on drug-related charges: Dawoodi in Manujan County and Iman in Rudbar-e Jonubi (South Rudbar). They had been held in Kahnuj Prison until their executions.
On Sunday, two other Baloch prisoners were executed in Bam Prison: 35-year-old Ibrahim Lajei, a father of two, and 30-year-old Fakhrollah Sherozehi, also a father of two. Both were residents of Zahedan, in Iran-administered Balochistan. They were arrested separately around three years ago in Bam, also on drug-related charges, and sentenced to death by the city’s Revolutionary Court in separate cases.
In a separate case, a 25-year-old Baloch man, Jummah Narvi Shirazi, son of Mohammad Naseem and a resident of Zahedan, has reportedly been sentenced to death at Zahedan Central Prison on Friday. Shirazi was arrested seven years ago over a murder case in the city.
According to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Iran carried out at least 157 executions in May alone, marking the highest monthly figure recorded this year. Of those, the identities of 152 were confirmed, which included four women(ethnicity unknown), nineteen Baloch, nine Kurds, five Afghan nationals, and two members of Iran’s Arab minority. One execution was carried out publicly.
Although Baloch people make up only an estimated 2–6% of Iran’s population, they accounted for 11–13% of all recorded executions in 2024, according to the Iran Human Rights NGO (IHRNGO).
“Those who are executed do not receive fair trials and are often among the most vulnerable segments of society,” said IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.
HRANA and other rights groups have accused the Islamic Republic of using the death penalty as a tool of political repression. They warn that executions may further escalate in the coming months as authorities seek to suppress labor strikes and deter public protests. Rights organizations are urging the international community to respond urgently.