Iran hangs 7 men in 2 prisons

Iran executed seven men in two prisons outside Tehran on drugs and rape charges Wednesday, a rights group said.

Three men were executed on drug-related charges in Ghezal Hesar Prison in the city of Karaj outside Tehran, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO said.

It added that four other men were hanged on rape charges in Rajai Shahr Prison, also in Karaj.

The judiciary’s Mizan Online website said the three executed on drugs charges were “members of the Panjak gang, the largest cocaine distribution cartel, which was one of the main drug cartels in the country.”

Iran executed two people on Monday in a rare case of conviction for desecrating the Qur’an and insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said the supreme court had confirmed death sentences against three men over the alleged killing of a Basij militiaman during protests in the city of Isfahan in November.