Two Iranians have been sentenced to death and 23 of...

Two Iranians have been sentenced to death and 23 of their accomplices given jail terms for operating a prostitution ring in the holy city of Qom.
Ali Talebi, a judge in Qom, said that the 40-member gang had lured young girls to prostitution, committed rape, kidnapping, drug-trafficking, robbery and various other crimes against morals and social order. Those who received jail sentences will stay behind bars for three to 25 years while 15 others in the group get whipped publicly, Talebi added.
Prostitution is illegal under Iranian laws with harsh penalties imposed on the crime since after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.