Yeah, I could see where that could hurt.
Posted on 03/16/2005 6:34:47 AM PST by Crookie Monster
An Iranian serial killer who murdered at least 20 children has been executed in front a large crowd of spectators. Mohammad Bijeh, 22, dubbed "the Tehran desert vampire" by Iran's press, was flogged 100 times before being hanged.
A brother of one of his young victims stabbed him as he was being punished. The mother of another victim was asked to put the noose around his neck.
The execution took place in Pakdasht south of Tehran, near where Bijeh's year-long killing spree took place.
The killer was hoisted about 10 metres into the air by a crane and slowly throttled to death in front of the baying crowd.
Hanging by a crane - a common form of execution in Iran - does not involve a swift death as the condemned prisoner's neck is not broken.
Calm and silent
The killer collapsed twice during the punishment, although he remained calm and silent throughout.
Spectators, held back by barbed wire and about 100 police officers, chanted "harder, harder" as judicial officials took turns to flog Bijeh's bare back before his hanging.
The condemned collapsed twice during the pre-execution flogging Bijeh was stabbed by the 17-year-old brother of victim Rahim Younessi, AFP reported, as he was being readied to be hanged.
Officials then invited the mother Milad Kahani to put the blue nylon rope around his neck.
The crimes of Mohammed Bijeh and his accomplice Ali Baghi had drawn massive attention in the Iranian media.
They reportedly tricked children to go with them into the desert south of Tehran by saying they were going to hunt animals. They then poisoned or knocked their victims out, sexually abused them and buried them in shallow graves.
They were found guilty of the murders of between 19 and 22 people, but local people believe the toll to be higher.
Baghi has been given a 15 year prison term.
Okay, so even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I wish American due process could be combined with Islamic sentencing. Give criminals their day in court...but make sure that the punishment fits the crime.
Wow, looks like the ACLU couldn't file fast enough to stop this one.
So who says it needs to be swift?
This should be standard fare for any NAMBLA pervert, too.
Sometimes those nitwits over there do get it right.
Did SCOTUS deem this cruel and unusual punishment? Or did they use this as an example of international views on capital punishment?
Yes, why did the SCOTUS not look to Iranian law while it was at it?
Damn... There's something to say for Iranian justice.
The exact thought goes off in so many minds.
I like the audience participation aspect of the sentence in this case. The problem with Islamic jurisprudence is when the punishment is meted out not for justice, but as a crowd spectacle and participation sport for sadists.
Hey this is kinda like our "bring back the Stocks" idea. . .
Yeah, I could see where that could hurt.
Is the SCOTUS displaying its cultural bias when it limits its search for "evolving standards" to Western Civilization?
This certainly seems more just than the parole sentence a child molester here in MA got.
I know everyone who has lost a loved one to a killer would like to exact this type of revenge. But, in my heart, I know that I would not feel any better if I stabbed this person, or if I watched him die. My pain would still be with the loss of my loved one, not the death of the killer. The only slight consolation I would have is knowing that the killer would not be able to kill again. On the other hand, if I thought the killer was going to walk free, I would take great delight in administering my own, final justice.
..works for me.
LOL that was my first thought! He definitely deserves everything he got. However, I still feel uneasy at the encouraging of group torture. Why did the Baghi only get 15 years? Maybe I didn't read close enough.
Clearly our own SCOTUS has not looked to this form of international law as a reference
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