When you hear the word, Black Vultures, your
first impression is thinking of the Cinereous Vulture where they can be found
in Iran…no, the Black Vultures in this post are the nicknames given to five
rapists who were hung in Iran. JUST A REMINDER, I am not in favor of the way
the Iranian government rules but I admire and respect the way they fight crime.
I personally think that it is good that they put those rapists to death, as it
is sign to the country and public that they are protecting the good innocent
people. No death penalty abolitionists appealed on their behalf as the men's crime spree attracted
such notoriety. If you were a raped victim, you will definitely thank the
government for going tough.
Read these two news:
Sunday,
29 September, 2002, 16:00 GMT 17:00 UK
Iran
hangs rapists in public
Many of
the crowd expressed approval of the hangings
Large
crowds have attended public executions in the Iranian capital Tehran - a rare
spectacle under reformist President Mohammad Khatami.
Five men, nicknamed the Black Vultures, were hanged
from cranes at two sites in the capital, watched by thousands of people.
I feel relieved when I see
this, it's good for the men to see it too so that they stop harassing women
|
Woman in the crowd
|
The five had been convicted of vicious attacks on
women across Tehran. A sixth man was given a 20-year prison sentence.
Correspondents say the men's crime spree attracted
such notoriety that there were no last-minute appeals for clemency or protests
by opponents of the death penalty.
Public executions have been criticised by
reformists who say they damage Iran's image abroad and reflect badly on Islam,
but conservative hardliners argue that they act as a deterrent.
At least 139 people were executed in Iran in 2001 -
mostly out of public view - according to Amnesty International.
Forgiveness plea
Three of the five - Payam Amini, Amir Karbalai and
Majid Qasemi - were hanged in the north-eastern Lavizan district.
No-one appealed for clemency
for the convicts. In this photo, Amir Karbalai is being led to execution.
The other two - Amir Fakhri and Farhad Aqnarian -
were executed at a bus station in the west of the city.
Friends of the convicts set off grenades in Lavizan
causing a temporary disruption.
Payam Amini asked the crowds for forgiveness. He
said: "We are guilty but we didn't kill anybody. We do not deserve to die,
but I want everybody to forgive me."
Relief and applause
A young woman who had travelled 200 km to witness
the execution explained why she had come.
Payam Amini asked the crowd for
forgiveness
|
"I feel relieved when I see this," she
told Reuters news agency. "It's good for the men to see it too, so that
they stop harassing women."
Many of the crowd applauded after the execution.
The five men were arrested in December 2001 after
abducting, raping and robbing women in wealthy areas of Tehran.
Officials have not indicated how many women the
gang attacked.
The country's Supreme Court upheld a lower court
sentence last week, although the verdict was never announced publicly.
Public hangings are only carried out in Iran if a
court decides that the convict's crimes are offensive to public sentiment.
Five rapists hanged in
public
Five men
convicted of abducting, raping and robbing women were taken to the Tehran
neighbourhoods they had terrorised today - and hanged in public.
Payam
Amini, one convicted member of the gang dubbed the "black vultures"
by police - asked for forgiveness.
"True,
we are guilty but we didn't kill anybody. We do not deserve to die, but I want
everybody to forgive me," he told reporters before the tow truck crane
from which he dangled rose with a hydraulic hiss.
As he
neared death another man, Amir Karbalaei, shouted his innocence to the huge
crowd that had been gathering since dawn to see him hang.
Amir
Fakhri and Farhad Aqnarian were hanged at a bus terminal in western Tehran.
Karbalaei,
Majid Qasemi and Amini were hanged in north-eastern Lavizan district.
The five,
all in their early 20s, were arrested in December 2001. Officials have not said
how many women were attacked.
Friends
of the convicts in the crowd at Karbalaei's hanging detonated home-made
grenades, temporarily causing panic but resulting in no injuries.
Some
people watched the hangings with their family from rooftops and others nibbled
potato crisps as riot police circled.
The
bodies were left hanging for at least half an hour.
The
mother of one gang member fainted twice as she watched him hang and cried out
that though he was guilty, it was unjust to execute him.
There had
been no public announcement of the verdicts.
Iran's
Supreme Court upheld a lower court's sentence last week.
"Public
executions reduce occurrence of offences. Rape is punished by death in our
laws. The presence of so many people (to watch the hangings) also proves that
they want divine verdicts enforced," Judge Mohammad Erfan said before
confirming the hangings today.
Convicts
are hanged in public in Iran only if a court deems that their offences injured
public sentiments. Iranian courts are controlled by hard-line proponents of
Islamic law.
Iranian
reformists say public executions hurt the country's international image and
reflect badly on Islam.
Philosopher, Louis Pojman was quoted
in his book, "Why the Death Penalty Is Morally Permissible," from the
2004 book edited by Adam Bedau and titled Debating the Death Penalty: Should America Have Capital Punishment?: "Public
executions of the convicted murderer would serve as a reminder that crime does
not pay. Public executions of criminals seem an efficient way to communicate
the message that if you shed innocent blood, you will pay a high price... I
agree... on the matter of accountability but also believe such publicity would
serve to deter homicide."
But in this case, it is for rape! After reading this post, even if you are a death penalty opponent, I
suspect you will never hold a candlelight vigil for the five Black Vultures,
not even at the Iranian embassy in your own country.
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