Man hanged in public in Tehran on January 5, 2011

Photo of the execution (IRNA)
Source: Iran Human Rights.
More photos here.

Iran Human Rights, January 5: One man was hanged in public in Tehran early this morning.

The man who was identified as Yaqub was convicted of stabbing another man to death in October 2010 (69 days ago). He was later sentenced to death in public and after an order from the head of the judiciary his case was processed urgently. So within 69 days since the offence Yaqub was tried, sentenced to death, his sentence was approved by the head of the judiciary and it was implemented early this morning when he was hanged in public.

The hanging took place with some delay early this morning at 6:15 AM and according to eye witnesses, there were many security officers present at the scene.

According to the state run Iranian news agency Fars, Yaqub was very scared and could barely stand on his feet before hanging. The report also wrote that "some people opposed to the establishment" shouted "forgiveness" but it didn’t affect the process and Yaqub was hanged by a crane.

Yesterday, Yaqub was lashed 74 times according to the sentence.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights, strongly condemned today’s hanging which according to him is only meant to spread fear among the people. He said:" This kind of acts are expected from a barbaric regime, but we expect stronger reactions and more condemnations from the civilized world".

Source: Iran Human Rights, January 5, 2011

Iran hangs man in public execution

Crowd watching the execution
Sources: MEHR, Iran-Resist.org

(CNN) -- Iran executed a man in a rare public hanging in Tehran on Wednesday morning, local media reported.

The man, identified only as "Yaqub," was convicted of stabbing a man to death in broad daylight in October, said the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

The public hanging, which was attended by the victims' family and large crowds of onlookers, took place in the main square of the affluent northern Tehran neighborhood of Sa'adat Abad.

The October murder sparked outrage amongst Tehran residents after videos of the stabbing surfaced on the Internet and were replayed on Iranian state television. The killing took place in front of two police officers, the news agency said.

Although executions are common in Iran, public ones are not.

A death sentence can be handed down for crimes from murder to adultery.

The latest execution brings the total number this year to 20, according to a CNN count from local media reports.

On Monday, Iranian authorities hanged seven convicted drug traffickers in the city of Kermanshah, the news agency said.

Amnesty International says Iran only trails China in the number of executions worldwide.

Source: CNN.com, January 5, 2011