Iran hangs rapist, three drug traffickers
TEHRAN, July 31 AFP - Iran has hanged a convicted rapist and three
drug traffickers, the hardline Kayhan newspaper reported on Saturday.
Yousef Fardi was found guilty of rape and hanged on Thursday in the
northern city of Qazvin, the newspaper said. It said the others,
identified only by their initials as A.A., S.Z. and S.M., were hanged in
the city of Ahvaz in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
They were hanged for drug trafficking, and Fars news agency reported
their sentence was carried out on July 24.
The hangings bring the total number of executions in Iran to 97 so
far this year, according to an AFP count based on media reports. Last
year, at least 270 people were hanged. Iran says the death penalty is
essential to maintain public security and is applied only after
exhaustive judicial proceedings.
Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are all
punishable by death in Iran.
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