Iran executes 20 convicts in 48 hours

Iranian Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says that Iran has executed 20 convicts within two days, the Anadolu Agency reported Sunday.

Most convicts are reported to have been sentenced to death on charges of crimes related to drugs, theft, and murder.

16 inmates were executed on Saturday in the Rajai Shahr prison, located in the northern city of Karaj. The convicts were put to death for crimes ranging from murder, armed extortion, to drugs.

Two other convicts were reported to have been executed on Saturday in the Lakan prison, located in the northwestern city of Rasht, after being found guilty of drug trafficking.

On Sunday, a convict was put to death in the Central Prison of the western city of Hamadan on charges of murder, while another convict was executed for the same crime in the Shahab Prison, located in southeastern city of Kerman.

Amnesty International reports indicate that Iran executed at least 977 people in 2015, mainly for drug-related crimes.

The human rights activist NGO also blames Iran for continuing to execute juvenile offenders, those aged under 18 at the time of the crime, in violation of the international law.