Iran has hanged 20 Sunni Muslim prisoners for their involvement in armed attacks. State media said the group was executed on Tuesday as they were responsible for killing women and children between 2009 and 2011.
State media says the men were accused of attacking civilians and religious leaders in Iran’s western Kurdish region.
“These people had committed murder … killed women and children, caused destructions and acted against the security and killed Sunni religious leaders in some Kurdish regions,” IRIB television quoted Prosecutor General Mohammad Javad Montazeri as saying.
He said all the executions – carried out by hanging – took place following a lengthy trial.
According to Amnesty International, Iran executed at least 977 people last year.
The US-based group, International Campaign for Human Rights said Iran was the second most prolific executioner in the world last year, after China, which executed more than 1,000 people.
After Iran, Pakistan executed 326 people, and Saudi Arabia 158 people, Amnesty International said.