Birjand
Capital of South Khorasan province, eastern Iran; site of a wartime execution on 13 May 2026.
Last refreshed: 14 May 2026
Why are executions accelerating in provincial Iranian cities during the conflict?
Timeline for Birjand
- Where is Birjand in Iran?
- Birjand is the capital of South Khorasan province in eastern Iran, near the Afghan border, with a population of around 250,000.
- What happened in Birjand prison in May 2026?
- Hengaw documented an execution at Birjand prison on 13 May 2026, part of a simultaneous five-prison cluster carried out across Iran that day.Source: Hengaw
- Why is Iran carrying out executions in provincial cities during the war?
- Human rights monitors say the dispersal of executions across remote provincial prisons reduces visibility and complicates documentation by organisations like Hengaw.Source: Hengaw
Background
Birjand was added to Iran's wartime execution register on 13 May 2026, when Hengaw documented one of five simultaneous executions carried out across separate prisons that day. The simultaneous multi-prison pattern indicates centralised scheduling rather than ad-hoc proceedings.
Birjand is the capital of South Khorasan province in eastern Iran, close to the Afghan border. It is a market and administrative centre with a population of roughly 250,000. The city sits along historic Silk Road routes and has historically been remote from Iran's main population centres and political flashpoints.
The wartime execution surge has reached cities well beyond Tehran and the major prison hubs. Birjand's inclusion in a synchronised five-prison cluster on 13 May marks its entry into the pattern Hengaw has tracked since the conflict began: executions dispersed across provincial prisons to diffuse accountability and international scrutiny.