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 Dublin News.

More Information

6 ℃

Rain Shower in Dublin

Business

Section

Heavy demand for shares in Saudi oil giant

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Institutions and individual investors appear to have rushed to subscribe to shares in the world's most ...

Asian stock markets make partial recovery

SYDNEY, Australia - Stocks in Asia rebounded on Friday, although in China trading was cautious.The Japanese benchmark index, the Nikkei ...

1,500 people attend EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards night in Dublin

DUBLIN, Ireland - Devenish CEO Richard Kennedy has taken out the overall EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award for 2019.The ...

U.S. and international investors dump stocks

NEW YORK, New York - Global stock markets continued their retreat on Thursday. There was little enthusiasm for discussion on ...

Chao approves co-operation agreement between four global airlines

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has given final approval to joint venture involving Delta Air Lines, ...

Asian stock markets open flood-gates to sellers

SYDNEY, Australia - Stock markets in Asia spent Thursday selling off with major exchanges closing with solid losses.In Japan, the ...

Europe

Section