Iran hangs 20 Sunni Muslim prisoners over 'armed attacks'

PanArmenian.Net
05 Aug 2016, 18:33 GMT+10

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran has hanged up to 20 Sunni Muslim prisoners it says were involved in armed attacks, BBC News reports.

State media said the group was executed on Tuesday, August 4 and was responsible for killing women and children between 2009 and 2011.

Iran, which is predominantly Shia, executed at least 977 people last year, according to Amnesty International.

Rights groups have criticised the latest executions, saying the trials were unfair.

The US-based group, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, said one of the men hanged, Shahram Ahmadi, claimed that the entire case against him was built on a forced confession.

None of the men's families were allowed to visit them before they were hanged, the organisation said.

Prosecutor-general Mohammad Javad Montazeri told Iranian television the men came from Kurdish areas and belonged to the extremist Tawhid and Jihad group.

Last year, Amnesty International said there had been a huge spike in the number of people executed in Iran, adding that courts were often "completely lacking in independence and impartiality".

The organisation said Iran was the second most prolific executioner in the world last year, after China, which executed more than 1,000 people.

After Iran, Pakistan executed 326 people, and Saudi Arabia 158 people, Amnesty International said.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Buffalo Breeze.

More Information

73 ℉

Cloudy in Buffalo

Business

Section

Nepal confirms African swine fever outbreak

KATHMANDU, Nepal - According to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Nepal has reported its first cases of African ...

U.S. stocks turmoil evaporates in final hour of trading, major indices unscathed

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets reversed sharp losses in late trading to eke out minor gains in ...

April sees rise in US auto sales, restaurant spending

WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. retail sales rose strongly in April, as consumers bought more motor vehicles and spent more at restaurants, ...

As salaries rise 7%, UK unemployment falls to historic low

LONDON, England: The UK's jobless rate fell to a 48-year low in the first three months of 2022, it was ...

Asian stock markets on rise after China's central bank move

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - A reduction of the official lending criteria in China has boosted stocks on the mainland, and ...

Turkish lira falls another 2%, at lowest since December

ISTANBUL, Turkey: As state lenders reduced the amount of dollar sales to prop up the currency for the ninth consecutive ...

United States

Section