Iran executes man in public over rape, murder of young girl

Iranian authorities today, in the early hours, publicly executed a man who had been convicted of the rape and murder of a young girl in the northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.

According to the region’s prosecutor, Nasser Atabati, the execution was carried out at the request of the victim’s family and citizens, due to the intense social and emotional impact of the case.

“The case was given special attention due to the impact it had on public opinion,” Atabati said.

The identity of the convicted individual and further details about the girl’s age or the exact timeline of the crime have not been released.

Public executions in the country, which are often carried out by hanging and in the early morning hours, have been strongly criticized by the international community as a form of deterrence and social intimidation.

The criminal proceedings began in January of this year, and the death penalty was imposed in March. After an appeal was filed, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the decision, paving the way for the execution.

Under Iranian law, crimes such as murder and rape carry the death penalty.

Iran remains one of the countries with the highest execution rates globally.

According to Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, it ranks second in the world for the number of executions, after China. The death penalty is applied for a range of crimes, including murder, rape, and drug trafficking.

Source: Agencies, Staff, July 12, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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