Iranian authorities executed two Afghan citizens at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj on Wednesday, November 4, according to Iranian media reports, underscoring mounting concerns over the application of capital punishment against Afghan nationals in the country.
The two men were hanged after being sentenced to death in separate cases, both on charges of premeditated murder. Their identities have not been made public.
In the first case, an Afghan man was accused of killing an Iranian neighbour following a dispute over shared building expenses in the Khorasan Square area of Tehran. The incident reportedly occurred in July 2024, when police arrested three Afghan brothers in connection with the killing. The main suspect was subsequently convicted and sentenced to death after the victim’s family sought qisas retribution under Iran’s criminal justice system. No further details have been reported regarding the second prisoner or the circumstances of his case.
The executions come amid a broader pattern of Afghan nationals being put to death in Iran. According to Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 84 Afghan citizens were executed in Iran in 2025, compared with 80 in 2024, 25 in 2023 and 16 in 2022. Only six of the 84 executions recorded in 2025 were reported by official Iranian sources, the organisation said.
A separate report, based on documentation from Iranian human rights organisations, found that at least 20 Afghan nationals had been executed in Iranian prisons between January 1 and August 28, 2026. The report also highlighted concerns raised by rights groups over defendants’ access to lawyers, the fairness of judicial proceedings and the lack of transparency surrounding executions.
IHR has stated that Afghan nationals constitute the largest group of foreign citizens recorded among those executed or facing death sentences in Iranian prisons. The organisation has also warned that the true figure may be higher, because executions of Afghans are frequently not publicly announced and many prisoners have limited family or legal support to raise awareness of their cases.
The latest reported executions reinforce continuing concerns about the vulnerability of Afghan prisoners in Iran, particularly with regard to transparency, access to legal representation and procedural safeguards in capital cases. Rights advocates have repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to halt executions of foreign nationals, ensure fair trials and provide defendants with meaningful access to consular assistance and legal counsel.
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