In a high-profile case that drew national outrage and emotional public reaction, Iranian judicial authorities on Saturday carried out the public execution of a man convicted of the rape and murder of a young girl in the northwestern city of Bukan.
The execution, carried out by hanging, followed legal proceedings that were closely followed by the victim’s family and the wider public, according to the country’s judiciary.
The judiciary’s official news platform, Mizan Online, reported that the execution was conducted in a public space, in response to a formal request made by the victim’s family and members of the local community.
The authorities stated that the brutal nature of the crime had caused widespread emotional distress, and the public implementation of the sentence was intended to reflect both societal grief and the seriousness of the offense.
Naser Atabati, the provincial chief justice for West Azerbaijan, told Mizan Online that the case was treated with “special attention due to the emotional impact it had on public opinion.” He added that the crime was of such a horrific nature that both the family of the young victim and citizens of the area demanded a visible and resolute response from the state.
The death sentence was originally handed down by a lower court in March and later upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court after a review of the case. Judicial officials emphasized that all due legal procedures were observed and the accused had access to the appeals process.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court confirmed the capital punishment, citing the irrefutable nature of the evidence and the severity of the offense.
While Iran’s penal system regularly implements the death penalty for crimes such as murder, rape, and certain drug offenses, public executions are comparatively rare and are typically reserved for cases that provoke widespread public outrage or involve crimes against children.
Iranian law allows for the involvement of victims’ families in determining the nature of capital punishment under the country’s Islamic legal framework.
In this case, the family of the young girl had specifically requested that the execution be carried out in public to demonstrate accountability and to serve as a deterrent for future crimes of a similar nature.
Local authorities said that crowd control and safety measures were in place to manage public attendance during the execution. The event has reignited debate both within Iran and internationally over the use of capital punishment and public executions, particularly in cases involving intense societal emotion and media coverage.
The name of the victim and the perpetrator have not been disclosed publicly, in accordance with Iranian privacy laws related to criminal cases involving minors.
This development marks one of the most publicized criminal cases in Iran in recent years and reflects the ongoing societal and legal tensions around crime, punishment, and justice in cases involving children.
