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Italy, Iran in war of words over death penalty
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Italy, Iran in war of words over death
penalty
7.8.2007
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August 7, 2007
Rome / Tehran, -- A call by Italy for Iran to
immediately stop executions has boiled over into a
diplomatic row, with Tehran accusing Rome of
meddling in its internal affairs and Italy
dismissing that as an exaggerated response.
The spat between Italy, which is leading a push for
a global ban on the death penalty, and Iran, which
has one of the highest rates of execution in the
world, began last week when Rome expressed "strong
anxiety" about recent hangings in Iran.
The Italian government told Iran's Ambassador that
it was particularly concerned that some were put to
death on charges of homosexuality and condemned
death sentences handed down to two Kurdish
journalists last week.
A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry retorted by
saying Italy should not interfere in its internal
affairs- in turn prompting the Italian deputy
foreign minister to say Rome was not meddling but
driven by a "battle of principle".
Italy's foreign under-secretary responsible for
yesterday criticised Iran's "absolutely exaggerated"
reaction.
"Iran is a country that abuses the death penalty and
negates fundamental freedom," Gianni Vernetti was
quoted by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera as
saying. "In this context, it is a right and duty to
raise one's voice."
The number of executions doubled to at least 177
last year, according to rights group Amnesty.
Before the latest executions in July and August,
Amnesty had said at least 124 people had been put to
death so far in 2007. |
Seven people were publicly hanged last week in
Iran. Photo ISNA
Kurdish journalists
Adnan Hassanpur (L) and Hiwa Botimar sentenced to death
by the Iranian Islamic regime |
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini
said: "Every independent nation, based on its own
internal laws, will prosecute criminals who have
been convicted of a crime." Italy has long advocated
a ban on the death penalty and in May was mandated
by the European Union to lead a push for a UN
moratorium on the death penalty across the world.
Iran hanged four men for drug smuggling, murder and
other crimes yesterday, Iranian media reported.
Three were put to death in a jail in the
southeastern city of Zahedan, while one was hanged
in public in the northern town of Babolsar.
The men, identified as Abdolaziz Esmail Zehi,
Abdoljamal Shahbakhsh and Ali Akbar Shahbakhsh, were
hanged yesterday morning in a prison in the
provincial capital of Zahedan, the website of state
broadcasting said.
The hangings brought to at least 154 the number of
executions carried out in the Islamic Republic so
far this year, most of them by hanging and often in
public.
Last week, Iran sentenced two Kurdish dissident
journalists to death for mounting an "armed struggle
against the system" and hanged 11 people, most of
them in public, including two in the capital Tehran
for the assassination of a judge two years ago.
It also hanged 16 men convicted of rape and other
offences on July 22, most of whom were arrested in a
crackdown on "immoral behaviour" which began in
April.
Homosexuality is among crimes punishable by death in
Iran, which has implemented Islamic Shariah law
since the 1979 revolution.
Some 99 countries ban capital punishment while 69
still use it. Six countries-China, Iran, Iraq, the
United States, Pakistan and Sudan-account for about
90 percent of the total, and China the bulk of
these.
Reuters
Iranian Kurdistan
**
Iranian Kurdistan (Kurdish: Kurdistana Îranę or
Kurdistana Rojhilat (Eastern Kurdistan) or Rojhilatę
Kurdistan (East of Kurdistan)) is an unofficial name
for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has
borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes the
greater parts of West Azerbaijan province, Kurdistan
Province, Kermanshah Province, and Ilam Province.
Kurds form the majority of the population of this
region with an estimated population of 4 million.
The region is the eastern part of the greater
cultural-geographical area called Kurdistan.
More about Iranian Kurdistan
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