Four convicted armed robbers were hanged in public...

Four convicted armed robbers were hanged in public in Iran's capital Tehran and another two in a prison, local media reported.
The six were executed on two popular squares and inside Tehran's Qasr prison at dawn, after the supreme court upheld their death sentences for 'muharibah' or waging war against God, the Persian daily Kayhan said.
The convicts were part of a gang called Jamileh and were identified as gang leader, Reza Soltani, 44, Morteza Ma'sumi, Behnam Nuri, 21, Turaj Shafi'i-Khaneqah, 32, Mohammad Reza Bozorgi, 26 and Farhad Akrami, 21.
They were charged with stealing a total of about $1.25 million in the local rial currency from different people around the country as well as 65 kg (143 lb) of gold jewellery.
Faced with a nationwide rise in crime, Iranian authorities have cracked down on delinquents in recent weeks, arresting dozens of armed bandits, robbers and muggers. Public hanging, usually from a crane, is rare in Tehran, although it is often carried out in other parts of the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic penal code envisages stiff sentences for a range of social, sexual and political offences, including lashings and even executions. Such practices have exposed Iran to persistent charges of human rights abuses from international organisations. Reformists allied with President Mohammad Khatami have criticised public hangings and lashings, arguing they gave a negative, backward image of Iran.
Some Iranians believe hangings are not necessary from a religious point of view and could be replaced with other sentences.
"Execution is not a solution for crimes such as robbery. We should find the roots of those crimes, one of them being the country's bad economic situation," sociologist Ahmad Jazayeri said.