PARIS: Iranian authorities on Thursday executed a man in public in front of massive crowds, a rights group said, denouncing a “medieval” practice as the Islamic Republic presses on with the surge in hangings.
According to Voice of America, Norway-based Iran Human Rights said that the man, who had been convicted of the capital crime of “corruption on earth,” was executed in Maragheh in the northern province of East Azerbaijan.
IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said, “The world community can’t endorse such medieval practices,” adding that the execution shows the “true face of the government that tries to prolong its life with cruelty, humiliation and intimidation of society.”
The pictures posted on Iranian news websites showed what appeared to be hundreds of citizens gathered to watch the execution, kept at a distance behind a security tape, as prosecutors addressed reporters.
The man was shown blindfolded next to his two executioners in balaclavas. Another picture showed him standing on the chair ahead of the execution with the noose around his neck and the rope attached to a crane.
The convict, who was first arrested about five years ago and not named, had been found guilty of charges related to his ties with women. However, the specific nature of the alleged crimes wasn’t immediately apparent.
Iran executes more citizens annually than any nation other than China, according to rights groups, including Amnesty International. Still, public executions are relatively rare, with almost all hangings carried out inside prisons.
There were no public executions in 2021, according to IHR.
In July 2022, Shiraz publicly hanged the man convicted of murdering the policeman. In December, the city of Mashhad executed Mohsen Rahnavard, who had taken part in the recent anti-government protests and was convicted of murdering militia agents.
