According to statistics and documented information collected by the human rights organization Balochistan Human Rights Documentation Network, at least 766 Baloch citizens were executed in Iranian prisons between the beginning of 2017 and the end of 2025. The figures indicate a disproportionately high rate of executions among the Baloch ethnic minority in Iran.
Based on this report, although Baloch citizens constitute approximately 5 percent of Iran’s population, they accounted for the highest execution rate among the country’s ethnic groups during this period. Human rights activists consider this pattern to be evidence of structural discrimination, widespread deprivation, and unequal access to fair judicial proceedings.
According to the documented data, out of the total 766 executions, at least 529 Baloch prisoners were executed on charges related to drug offenses. In addition, 34 of those executed had faced political, security-related, or religious charges. The remaining cases were primarily related to murder and rape accusations.
A breakdown of the locations where executions were carried out shows that Zahedan Central Prison recorded the highest number of executions of Baloch prisoners during the examined period. According to the report, at least 283 Baloch prisoners were executed in this prison alone.
It should be emphasized that the published figures are based solely on cases that could be verified through local sources, families, media reports, and field documentation. The actual number of executed Baloch citizens is believed to be significantly higher. Security restrictions, the absence of official transparency, secret executions, and pressure placed on families have all been cited as major obstacles to the full documentation of executions in Iran.
Human rights activists also believe that widespread poverty, underdevelopment, lack of employment opportunities, and unequal economic conditions in Baloch-populated regions have contributed to the increased vulnerability of Baloch citizens in drug-related cases.
