Executions in Mashhad, August 1, 2007

ITALY. CONCERN OVER EXECUTIONS IN IRAN

August 2, 2007: Italy voiced its "deep concern" over the recent executions in Iran and asked Tehran to suspend the death penalty handed down against two Iranian-Kurdish journalists.
Seven men were hanged in public and another two in prison, while 15 people are reported to be on their way to the gallows soon. Most of the prisoners being executed were convicted of crimes such as rape and theft.
Political prisoners are also being subjected to the death penalty. The foreign ministry said it had expressed Italy's concern over the executions to the deputy chief of the Iranian embassy in Rome, Hossein Mafi Moghaddam, as well as its request that the execution of the journalists Adnan Hassanpour and Abdulvahed Boutimar be stayed. According to Amnesty International, there have been at least 124 executions in Iran since the start of the year, including 12 simultaneous hangings last week.
Italy has been in the forefront of an international drive for a worldwide moratorium on capital punishment under the aegis of the United Nations. In June, the Council of Europe (Europe's human rights body) unanimously backed the campaign. (Sources: ANSA, 02/08/2007)