IRAN – Amnesty International is calling for the government of Iran to halt the second execution of Alireza M, who was convicted on drug charges (possession) and sentenced to death. Alireza was hanged for twelve minutes, pronounced dead and had his death warrant signed by doctors. But the next day he was found breathing in the morgue and was rushed to the hospital. Iranian officials have declared they will kill Alireza… after they nurse him back to health.

The family was reportedly elated to learn that he is alive. But that joy will be short-lived as government officials declared, “The man has been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court and his death sentence will be carried out once the medical staff confirms that his health condition is good enough”.

A spokesman for Amnesty International responded, “Carrying out a second execution on a man who somehow managed to survive 12 minutes of hanging – who was certified as dead and whose body was about to be turned over to his family – is simply ghastly. It betrays a basic lack of humanity that sadly underpins much of Iran’s justice system.”

Iran has executed an estimated 560 people this year, and is among the top five countries with the highest rates of executions, China is number one. Estimates of the total numbers of executions are hard to come by because many government execute vastly more of their citizens than they report. The United States has executed some 1,300 people since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. There is no conclusive evidence that proves that the death penalty is an effective crime deterrent.