Iran executed five men for rape on Wednesday amid continued international criticism of the country's frequent use of the death penalty.
The five men were executed by hanging. They were arrested for kidnapping and raping a woman in the city of Marand in northwest Iran in May of last year and later convicted, Agence France-Presse reported.
Why it matters: Iran is one of the top practitioners of the death penalty in the world. In 2022, more than 576 people were executed in the country, behind only China. Executions increased 83% compared to 2021, largely due to murder and drug-related offenses, according to Amnesty International.
Iranian authorities’ use of the death penalty frequently attracts criticism. In a June report, the United Nations’ Human Rights Office said that some of those executed this year were denied due process and fair trial rights. The UN also said that the number of executions of minorities in Iran remains “disproportionately high.” One-third of those executed in 2022 were from Iran’s Baluchi community. Baluchis also accounted for half of the drug-related executions last year, according to the UN. Baluchis make up around 2% of Iran’s population.
