Report: Iran Executes Man for Drinking Alcohol 6 Times

Iranian police dump confiscated beer cans in Tehran on July 22, 2009. The possession, prod
FARZIN NEMATI/AFP/Getty

Iran reportedly executed a man this week for the crime of drinking alcohol for the sixth time, ignoring repeated warnings from authorities.

The execution was one of at least 123 executions thus far in 2020, according to a human rights report cited in the Jerusalem Post:

Iran has executed a prisoner for the crime of drinking alcohol despite repeated warnings against it. His death is one of 123 executions carried out by the Iranian regime in the first six months of this year.

The unnamed prisoner was executed in Mashhad Central Prison at dawn on July 9, having been sentenced to death for “drinking alcohol for the sixth time,” according to the NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR).

Iran implements a legal system based on Islamic Sharia law and carries out ‘hadud’ punishments – those mandated by God in accordance with the Quran. Consequently, the Islamic Penal Code currently states: “Where anyone commits the same offense punishable by hadd (singular of hadud) three times, and each time the hadd punishment is executed upon him/her, the hadd punishment on the fourth occasion shall be the death penalty.”

The execution is one of the few recorded for the crime of drinking alcohol. However, most executions take place behind closed doors and are not officially declared by the authorities.

Islamic law prohibits the consumption of alcohol.

Iran also executes homosexuals, following a strict and narrow application of Islamic law. The Iranian regime reportedly forces gay men to choose between sexual reassignment surgery (thus declaring them female) or being put to death.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, is available for pre-order. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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