News

The Iranian authorities executed five people on Wednesday, including a 30-year-old woman who admitted killing her 5-day-old baby, the state news agency reported. Defense lawyers had argued that the woman was suffering from postpartum depression. Another prisoner scheduled to be executed was granted a one-month stay of execution, the news agency said, suggesting that he may be granted a reprieve. That prisoner, Safar Angooti, was convicted of murder at the age of 17. Another man was executed last week for a crime carried out at the age of 17. At least 135 other juvenile offenders are known to be on death row in Iran, which carries out more executions than any other nation except China. Offenses like murder, armed robbery, rape and adultery carry the death penalty. Human rights groups have documented a sharp increase in the number of executions in Iran since the start of the year.