Yaghub Mehrnahad (also spelled: Ya'qub Mehrnehad, Yaghoob Mirnehad or Yaghoub Mirnahad) was an advocate for the Baluchi minority. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, he was accused of membership of Jundallah (Soldiers of Allah), an armed Baluchi group. He was tried by a closed court in Zahedan on 25 December 2007 — a trial which the human rights group called ‘blatantly unfair’ as it was behind closed doors and his family was not informed. They said that no evidence was produced that Yaghub had been in contact with Jundallah. Local sources said he had been tortured and forced to make false confessions.

After ten months of arrest, 28-year-old Yaghub Mehrnahad was sentenced to death on 7 February 2008. A few days later, Yaghub Mehrnahad's 16-year-old brother, Ebrahim Mehrnahad, was detained and allegedly tortured because he had publicised the death sentence.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported in August that Iran has executed about 200 people in 2008. On 27 July, 29 men were put to death, but only 10 of their names were published.