Four men who raped woman in front of her husband were executed in Iran

Four men were executed on Monday in Iran for having gang-raped a woman in front of her husband, bound hand and foot. The attack took place while the couple were mountaineering in Khorasan Razavi province, near Afghanistan.

The attackers were identified by police in Fariman town as Ruhollah Javidi Rad, Mohammad Sayadi Baghansgani, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Watandoost. They have been charged with kidnapping and raping a woman and threatening violence against a man, according to the British newspaper The daily mail.

The Khorasan Razavi Criminal Court referred the case to the Supreme Court, where the four men were sentenced to death by hanging and then executed in Mashhad central prison.

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Laws that deter victims

Iranian laws aim to deter victims from reporting cases of sexual abuse. According to the Islamic penal code adopted by this country, rape must be confirmed by several witnesses and the act is only considered as such after a certain degree of penetration by the aggressor. If there are not enough witnesses, convictions can only be obtained by confession or “to the knowledge of the judge”.

In addition, often the victims themselves face accusations of adultery, indecency or behavior immoral after reporting sexual assault. Iranian law also discourages victims from filing a complaint because of the harshness of the sentence imposed on the accused: the death penalty.

The death penalty in Iran

Iran is the second countries in the international ranking of countries practicing the death penalty after China, according to the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Iran executed at least 251 people in 2019, according to unofficial figures collected by the NGO. Executions are carried out mainly by hanging.

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“Death row prisoners are often sentenced on vague charges and Confessions usually obtained under torture or ill-treatment in detention, before trial. Defendants facing the death penalty often do not have access to a lawyer of their choice, ”added FIDH.

Iran ranks first executions of children: From September 2009 to September 2020, at least 67 cases have been documented. The death penalty is usually imposed on minors but they are expected to be 18 years old to run them.