FOUR MEN who gang-raped a woman in front of her husband as the couple climbed a mountain have been executed, according to reports.
The perpetrators are believed to have bound the man’s hands and feet together before inflicting a vile attack upon his wife in front of him. The couple are believed to be keen mountain climbers who were ambushed in the Khorasan Razavi province in north-eastern Iran, according to Iran International TV.
The four vile rapists named by the prosecutors office, Ruhollah Javidi Rad, Mohammad Sayadi Baghansgani, Mohammad Hosseini and Mohammad Watandoost, were arrested following a thorough investigation.
The gruesome gang were charged with the kidnapping and rape of a woman and with threats of violence towards a man after they were identified by the city of Fariman’s police force.
The Criminal Court of Khorasan Razavi sent the case to the Supreme Court, where the frightening foursome were sentenced to death by hanging.
They were executed on the morning of March 15 in Mashhad Central Prison, according to the Justice Organization of Khorasan Razavi.
The case marks a significant step in sentencing in Iran, as their laws are structured to work against rape victims.
Women can face counter charges of adultery, indecency or immoral behavior once they report a sexual assault to the police.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN IRAN
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Iran.
Crimes punishable by death include: murder, rape, child molestation, pedophilia, drug trafficking, armed robbery, sexual misconduct, and adultery.
Iran is believed to execute the most people per capita. Under its Islamic Penal Code, a death sentence can be handed down.
Most executions take place in a prison near to where the crime was committed, and in serious cases, the perpetrator is publicly executed at the exact location of the crime.
Death sentences can be appealed at the Supreme Court.
Children as young as 12 can also be sentenced to death, which is against international law.
Hanging is the most common form of execution, although the firing squad and stoning are used in seldom.
Criminals can be hanged from cranes in public.
Consensual sex outside marriage is punishable by lashes and victims are often beaten if authorities do not believe their accounts.
The oppressive legislation often intimidates women into silence and deters victims from reporting crimes against them.
Accused rapists are only convicted if the accusation is corroborated by the testimony of four Muslim men or a large number of witnesses, again perpetuating the pandemic of gender-based violence in the Islamic Republic.
If there are no witnesses, convictions can only be gained by the defendants confession or a “judge’s knowledge”.
Despite Twitter and Facebook being banned in Iran. some women have come forward to share their stories of sexual assualt and violence on social media.
“It is hard to say whether these types of crimes have increased in Iran but because of the widespread use of social media, these crimes are being more exposed,” said a Iran International legal analyst, Nargess Tavassolian.
The country is one of the only places in the world to execute defendants found guilty of rape, and executes more people per capita than any other country.
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