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10 more persons executed in Iran

05 January 2012 11:11 (UTC +04:00)

APA reports that the executed offenders are accused of drug trafficking. 5 people were hanged in Bam and Zanjan prisons each. The death sentence was fulfilled on January 2, 2012.

The Amnesty Internationalâ€™s report â€œAddicted to Deathâ€ says that 488 people have been executed for alleged drug offences. This number forms 81% of general executions.

The report notes that in almost all cases executions have followed grossly unfair trials and the families and lawyers of those accused have often received little or no warning that executions were due to take place. Members of marginalized groups - including impoverished communities, ethnic minorities that suffer discrimination, and foreign nationals, particularly Afghans - are most at risk of execution for drugs offences. There are 2 mln users of illegal drugs in Iran and this country has turned into the worldâ€™s largest opium market.