Iran hangs 29 drug traffickers, rapists, murderers
IRAN: Iran on Sunday hanged 29 men convicted of offences including
drug trafficking, murder and rape in the largest mass execution in years
as the country says it is fighting increasing crime.
The hangings were carried out inside Tehran’s Evin prison at 5:10 am
(0040 GMT), the state broadcaster said.
The latest hangings bring to at least 155 the number of executions in
Iran this year, according to an AFP count.
Amnesty International reported that in 2007 Iran applied the death
penalty more often than any other country apart from China, executing
317 people.
Those executed on Sunday had records of repeated crimes including
rape, murder with torture and armed robbery, the report said. It also
listed charges including drug trafficking, drinking alcohol and
possessing ammunition.
Capital offences in the Islamic republic include murder, rape, armed
robbery, drug trafficking and adultery.
Human rights groups have accused Iran of making excessive use of the
death penalty, but Tehran insists it is an effective deterrent carried
out only after an exhaustive judicial process.
The state broadcaster said the latest death sentences were approved
by the Tehran revolutionary court and high judicial authorities.
On Saturday the press reported that 30 people would be executed on
Sunday, saying 20 were drug traffickers and the rest were “murderer
thugs.”
In a previous mass execution on January 2, 13 people were hanged,
including a mother of two young children found guilty of murdering her
husband.
A year ago, citing “promotion of social security,” the authorities
launched an unprecedented crackdown against women and thugs whose
behaviour was deemed to offend the county’s strict Islamic moral code.
Iran hopes that executing drug dealers and thugs will send a strong
warning to criminals.
Tehran, Sunday, AFP
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