IRAN. MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING CHILDREN WHIPPED THEN EXECUTED IN PUBLIC

March 16, 2005: Mohammed Bijeh, a man convicted of raping and murdering 16 boys was lashed 100 times, and then hanged in front of a large, angry Iranian crowd who pelted him with stones and scuffled with police.
Bijeh, 23, confessed in court to the killings, between March and September 2004. He burned the bodies of his victims, all boys between 8 and 15. Bijeh was sentenced to one death sentence for each murder he confessed and 100 lashes of the whip for the rapes.
His accomplice, Ali Gholampour, was acquitted of involvement in the murders but was convicted of taking part in some of the kidnappings, to which he confessed. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and 100 lashes. Bijeh’s verdict was carried out in Pakdasht, a small, impoverished town outside the capital Tehran, after being upheld by the Supreme Court. It was the same town where the murders took place. About 5,000 spectators – including women and children – gathered to watch the flogging and hanging. Riot police circled the area. Some of the crowd angrily threw stones at Bijeh as he was flogged, shirtless and hands tied to an iron pole. He fell to his knees three times as he received the lashes.
A family member of one of the victims broke police security and attacked Bijeh with a knife, wounding his back before police dragged him away. After the flogging, a rope was put around Bijeh’s neck and attached to a hook on a crane. The crane’s arm jerked upward and Bijeh’s body dangled, drawing applause from the crowd.
Some people burst into tears, crying out the names of their injured children. Some shouted, “Shame on you, Bijeh!” After about 20 minutes, the body was lowered and a doctor confirmed Bijeh was dead. Many in the crowd, some of them other family members of the victims, repeatedly tried to approach Bijeh’s body but were prevented by anti-riot police. Scuffles continued for at least half an hour. (Sources: PA, 16/03/2005)