IRAN has hanged 29 people convicted of drug trafficking, murder and rape in Tehran's Evin prison in the largest mass execution in the Islamic republic for years.
The hangings were carried out in the notorious prison at 5:10 am (10:40 AEST), state broadcaster IRIB reported on its website.
The hanged men had records of repeated crimes including rape, murder with torture and armed robbery.
The charges against them included serious drug trafficking, the stabbing to death of victims, drinking alcohol and keeping war ammunition.
The hangings were carried out with the approval of the Tehran revolutionary court and high judicial authorities, IRIB said.
Capital offences in the Islamic republic include murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery.
The latest hangings bring to at least 155 the number of executions carried out 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 during the year.
On January 2, Iran hanged 13 people including the mother of two young children found guilty of murdering her husband.
Human rights groups as well as Iranian activists have accused Iran of making excessive use of the death penalty but Tehran insists it is an effective deterrent that is carried out only after an exhaustive judicial process.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment