Suspicious death of Baloch prisoner Mehrdad Nabatzahi in Chabahar Central Prison

Hengaw: Monday, March 24, 2025

Mehrdad Nabatzahi, a 27-year-old Baloch prisoner from Rask in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, has died under suspicious circumstances while in custody at Chabahar Central Prison. Prison officials have claimed that his death was a suicide by hanging with a rope, but this account has been challenged by both his family and fellow inmates.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, on Saturday, March 22, 2025, Nabatzahi—originally from the village of Paroud in Rask—died under unclear circumstances inside the prison.

Sources familiar with the case stated that the official suicide narrative is being contested by the prisoner’s family and cellmates, who have called for a review of surveillance footage. According to inmates, Nabatzahi was killed in the prison’s ablution area. They noted visible bruises on his hands, which they believe indicate he may have tried to resist an attack.

Nabatzahi had been arrested five years ago on charges of premeditated murder and was being held in Chabahar Central Prison pending further legal proceedings.