Iran has hanged seven convicted drug traffickers

Iran has hanged seven convicted drug traffickers and four convicted rapists, three of them publicly, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
One man found guilty of drug smuggling was sent to the gallows in a prison in the northern town of Tonekabon, the Kayhan newspaper reported.
Another four convicted traffickers were hanged in the southern city of Kerman, the Khorasan newspaper reported.
And a further two were hanged on Saturday in a prison in the city of Qazvin near the capital Tehran, the Fars news agency reported.
Four men convicted of rape were executed in the central city of Yazd, one in prison and three in public, Fars added.
Possession of more than 30 grammes (just over an ounce) of narcotics is punishable by death in Iran, as are murder, rape, armed robbery and adultery.
The latest hangings bring to 124 the number of executions reported in Iran so far in 2011, according to an AFP count based on media and official reports.
Iranian media reported 179 hangings last year. But international human rights groups say the actual number was much higher, making the Islamic republic second only to China in the number of people it put to death.
Iran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order, and that it is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings.