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Iran has hanged 12 people for murder and drug trafficking over
the last two days, according to Iranian media reports.
Six people were put to death for murder in Tehran's Evin prison on
Wednesday morning, the Etemad newspaper said, adding two others due
to be executed at the same time were spared by the families of
their victims.
On Thursday, six drug traffickers were executed in prison in Qom, a
Shiite Muslim holy city south of the capital; the Fars News Agency
quoted a judiciary official as saying.
Amnesty International has listed the Islamic Republic as the
world's second most prolific executioner in 2008, after China.
The human rights group says at least 346 people were executed
last year in the country.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug
trafficking are all punishable by death in Iran.
European governments and Western rights groups have criticised Iran
for an increasing number of executions since authorities launched a
clampdown on immoral behaviour in 2007.
Iran says it is implementing Islamic law and rejects accusations it
is violating human rights, accusing the West of double standards
and hypocrisy.
Under Iranian law, the families of murder victims can pardon the
killers, sometimes in return for financial compensation.
Etemad quoted a judge as saying some of the six people put to death
in Evin were convicted of killing their spouses.
The planned execution of a ninth convicted murderer, who was 16 at
the time of his crime in 1992, was postponed on the order of
judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi.
Rights groups have criticised Iran for executing people who
committed crimes when they were under the age of 18.
On June 26, hard-line cleric Ahmad Khatami called on the judiciary
to charge leading rioters who took part in last month's
post-election street protests as Mohareb or one who wages war
against God.
Under Iran's Islamic law, punishment for people convicted as
mohareb is execution.
Iran's police chief, Ismail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, said a total of 1,032
had been detained during violent unrest following the disputed June
12 presidential election, which was won by hard-line President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He said most had been freed, while the rest had been referred to the public and revolutionary courts in Tehran.
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