Iranian authorities on Saturday carried out a public execution of a man who was convicted of raping and murdering a young girl, said Iran’s judiciary. The man was executed after he was convicted of the crime in March, and the sentence was upheld by the Islamic Republic’s top court, as per reports. Notably, murder and rape are punishable by death in Iran. The victim’s family, from the northwestern city of Bukan, had been involved in the legal proceedings and requested the public execution, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website. “The case was given special attention due to the emotional impact it had on public opinion,” the provincial chief justice, Naser Azabati, was quoted as saying. He said the public execution was carried out in public “at the request of the victim’s family and citizens, due to the emotional impact the case had on society.” Public executions, typically by hanging, are not uncommon in Iran but do occur in cases deemed especially severe. In 2024, Iran carried out at least 975 executions, which human rights groups described as a “horrifying escalation” of capital punishment in the country. Of the 975 executions, four were carried out in public, and 31 of those executed were women. Last month, Iran executed three men accused of spying for Israel, just a day after a ceasefire between the two countries came into effect. Tehran has regularly announced arrests and executions of individuals it accuses of spying for foreign intelligence agencies, particularly its arch-rival Israel. According to human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Iran ranks as the second-highest executor in the world after China, a record that continues to draw widespread international criticism.