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28 March 2024

Iran hangs convicted drug traffickers, rapist

Published
By AFP

Iran has hanged two people convicted of drug trafficking in a northern city and a young man found guilty of rape in a southern town, local media reported on Sunday.

The ISNA news agency said the two convicted drug traffickers were hanged in a prison in the city of Sari. The report did not identify them.

The city's prosecutor's office was quoted as saying the two were "chief elements" in the sale and distribution of drugs in Sari.

The state television website reported a young man aged 25 was publicly hanged on Wednesday in the town of Marvdasht after being convicted of rape and abduction. The report again did not identify the culprit.

The hangings brought to 226 the number of executions in Iran so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on media and official reports.

Human Rights Watch counted 388 executions in Iran in 2010, while Amnesty International put the figure at 252, ranking the Islamic republic second only to China in the number of people put to death last year.

Tehran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order, and that it is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.

Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are among the crimes punishable by death in Iran.