Iran Hangs 29 Convicts, Calls Deaths Crime Deterrent

Denies rights groups' charges of excessive use
By Kate Rockwood,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2008 11:00 AM CDT
Iran Hangs 29 Convicts, Calls Deaths Crime Deterrent
A protester of the Iranian Resistance who call on the EU to impose sanctions on the Iranian regime, performs at a mock hanging in front of the EU foreign ministers council in Luxembourg.   (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)

Amid charges of excessive use, Iran hanged 29 convicts this morning in Tehran. The Iranian Supreme Court approved the death sentences, variously on charges of murder, rape, armed robbery, or drug trafficking, the BBC reports. Last year, the country carried out 317 executions, second only to China. Tehran, however, insists the death penalty is an effective deterrent, judiciously used after a lengthy legal process. (More death penalty stories.)

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