Iranian hanged for murder: report

AFP: An Iranian convicted of murdering a soldier during an armed robbery has been hanged in Saravan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, Jam-e-Jam daily reported Thursday.
The man, identified only as Khodabakhsh M., had a record of carrying out armed robberies in the region, the report said without specifying if Wednesday’s execution was carried out in public or in prison. AFP

TEHRAN – An Iranian convicted of murdering a soldier during an armed robbery has been hanged in Saravan, in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, Jam-e-Jam daily reported Thursday.

The man, identified only as Khodabakhsh M., had a record of carrying out armed robberies in the region, the report said without specifying if Wednesday’s execution was carried out in public or in prison.

At least 159 people were executed in Iran last year, including three minors — the highest rate in the world after China, according to human rights watchdog Amnesty International.

So far this year, Iran has executed 14 people, according to an AFP tally based on witness and press reports.

Murder, armed robbery, rape, apostasy and serious drug trafficking are punishable by death in Iran, which enforces a strict form of Islamic law.