Iran has carried out another public execution, hanging a man at the scene of his crime in the northern city of Kordkuy, the country’s judiciary confirmed Thursday. The execution, conducted at dawn, came just two days after a similar public hanging in the southern province of Fars, underscoring what human rights groups describe as a troubling surge in the use of capital punishment.
According to judiciary outlet Mizan Online, the condemned man was convicted of fatally shooting a couple and a young woman with a hunting rifle late last year. Provincial judiciary chief Heidar Asiabi said the decision to execute him publicly and at the location of the killings reflected the “gravity of the crime” and its impact on the community. Public executions in Iran are rare, typically reserved for cases that provoke widespread outrage, with most death sentences otherwise carried out inside prisons.
Earlier this week, another man was publicly hanged in Fars province after being found guilty of murdering a mother and her three children during a robbery. Authorities said his wife, who was also sentenced to death for her role in the crime, will face execution in prison at a later date.
Iran consistently ranks as the world’s second-highest executor after China, according to Amnesty International and other rights organizations. The UN Human Rights Office last month urged Tehran to halt its use of capital punishment, warning of a “worrying surge in executions” with at least 612 recorded in the first half of this year alone. In response, Iranian officials have defended their policy, insisting the death penalty is applied strictly to “the most severe crimes.”
Under Iran’s laws, capital punishment is prescribed for offences including murder, rape, adultery, and certain drug-related crimes. In addition, Islamic law provisions such as “enmity against God” and “corruption on Earth” also carry the death penalty. Human rights advocates argue these categories are vague and often used to suppress dissent, while Tehran maintains that its legal system is essential to maintaining order and justice.
