Iran hangs 29 criminals

CRIMINALS EXECUTED: Iran on Sunday hanged 29 people convicted of drug trafficking, murder, rape. (Getty Images)

Iran on Sunday hanged 29 people convicted of drug trafficking, murder and rape in the notorious Tehran prison of Evin, the state broadcaster reported on its website.

In the largest mass execution in the Islamic republic in recent years, the hangings were carried out at 5.10 am (00:40 GMT), it said.

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.

The hanged men had records of repeated crimes including rape, murder with torture and armed robbery.

The state broadcaster named some of the convicts as Ali Reza Chubdari Fard, Abdolreza Shah Bakhsh, Shiragha Tajik, Mohammad Khalegh Dadi, Sohrab Kamal Zehi, Ali Rushian, Morteza Chardavali, Assadollah Naghdi Pari and Hossein Mirzai.

The charges against them included serious drug trafficking, the stabbing to death of victims, drinking alcohol and keeping war 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 that is carried out only after an exhaustive judicial process.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (1)

Have your say

BREAKING NEWS: Allah will soon be unemployed!!
Posted by Ahmed, Dubai, UAE on Monday 28 July 2008 at 13:27 UAE time

If public execution is a deterrent... then why have 123 people before them not stopped sinning??? And will this execution be the last...??

If killing the sinner was a deterrent then why does our world still have sinners???

Does that mean if we kill all the sinners we'll have a sin-free world?? In that case is it possible to find even ONE sinless man?

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM