IRAN - Shahin Babayi hanged in Tabriz on September 28

September 28, 2026 - IRAN. Shahin Babayi (Shahin Babaei) hanged in Tabriz on September 28, 2026

According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was hanged in Tabriz Central Prison on 28 September 2026. His identity has been established as Shahin Babayi, a 27-year-old Turk from Tabriz. He was arrested five years ago on drug charges.

A source told IHR: “Shahin worked as an apprentice at a bicycle repair shop. The shop owner, named Mansour [family name withheld by IHR], concealed drugs inside the shop among the bicycle tyres. One day, Mansour instructed Shahin to go to the bus terminal and collect a 10-kilogram sack of rice that had been sent for him."

"Shahin went to the terminal and picked up the sack of rice, but as soon as he arrived at the shop door, he was arrested by officers. Inside the sack of rice, officers discovered a large quantity of shisheh (methamphetamine). At that moment, the shop owner falsely claimed that he didn’t know Shahin at all and that he wasn’t his apprentice. In court, Shahin repeatedly stated that he had been duped and believed he was carrying nothing more than a bag of rice. No drugs were found inside the repair shop during subsequent searches and the Revolutionary Court rejected the young worker's defence and sentenced him to death,” the source added.

At the time of writing, his execution has not been reported by domestic media in Iran.