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Iran's easing of drug laws could halt execution of 5,000 prisoners
Source: The Guardian
Iran's easing of drug laws could halt execution of 5,000 prisoners
Lifting of capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences set to be applied retrospectively to convicts on death row
Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent
Wed 10 Jan ‘18 08.49 GMT
The lives of more than 5,000 prisoners on death row in Iran could be spared as a change in the law abolishes capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences.
Iran is second only to China in the number of prisoners executed in recent years, the majority put to death for drug offences. More than 500 people were executed in 2017.
The softening of drug-trafficking laws was put into force in a communique by the head of the Iranian judiciary to all judicial officials on Tuesday.
Campaigners said it was a potentially significant step towards halting executions worldwide.
-snip-
Lifting of capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences set to be applied retrospectively to convicts on death row
Saeed Kamali Dehghan Iran correspondent
Wed 10 Jan ‘18 08.49 GMT
The lives of more than 5,000 prisoners on death row in Iran could be spared as a change in the law abolishes capital punishment for some drug-trafficking offences.
Iran is second only to China in the number of prisoners executed in recent years, the majority put to death for drug offences. More than 500 people were executed in 2017.
The softening of drug-trafficking laws was put into force in a communique by the head of the Iranian judiciary to all judicial officials on Tuesday.
Campaigners said it was a potentially significant step towards halting executions worldwide.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/10/iran-ease-drug-laws-could-halt-execution-5000-prisoners-death-row
