A man was publicly hanged in front of a large crowd in Iran, according to human rights activists. The execution of the man convicted of the capital crime “corruption in the land” took place in broad daylight in the city of Maragha, in the province of East Azerbaijan, announced today the Norwegian organization Iran Human Rights (IHR).
Photos on Iranian news portals show a gathering of apparently hundreds of people watching the execution from behind a security barrier. The man is also shown with the noose around his neck. The convict was arrested about five years ago and later found guilty of a misdemeanor related to his relationships with women. It was not known exactly what the alleged crimes consisted of.
“Medieval Practices”
“The international community must not tolerate such medieval practices,” said IHR director Mahmud Amiri-Moghaddam. The execution shows the “true colors of a government that guarantees its survival with cruelty, humiliation and intimidation of society”.
According to human rights organizations, more people are executed in Iran every year than in any other country in the world except China. However, public executions are rare, most taking place in prisons. The only two public executions in 2022 were carried out at dawn with almost no audience.