Iran executes Salman Kakehkhani convicted on drug-related charges at Tabriz prison

Hengaw – Thursday, July 16, 2026

Iranian authorities executed a Kurdish man convicted on drug-related charges at Tabriz Central Prison. His execution comes one month after the death of his wife, leaving their 12-year-old child without either parent.

According to information obtained by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Salman Kakehkhani, a Kurdish prisoner from Baneh, was executed at dawn on July 14, 2026, at Tabriz Central Prison.

Sources familiar with the case said Kakehkhani was arrested in 2023 by law enforcement authorities on charges related to the transportation and possession of narcotics. He was later sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Tabriz.

Kakehkhani’s wife died last month in an electrocution accident. With his execution, the couple’s 12-year-old child has lost both parents and is now without a legal guardian.

Iranian state media and judicial authorities had not publicly announced the execution.