August 23, 2008: the Iranian government hanged a man convicted of murder in the northeastern town of Bojnourd, a press report said. The man, only identified as Ali, was executed in a prison in North Khorasan province for killing his friend in 2005, the reformist Etemad newspaper said. (Sources: 7 Days, 24/08/2008)
August 25, 2008: Iran hanged a man convicted of raping and murdering a relative in the northwestern city of Tabriz. The man, only identified as Bahram, was hanged in a prison for raping and killing his sister-in-law 19 years ago, the Etemad newspaper said, without specifying when the execution took place. (Sources: Agence France Presse, 25/08/2008)
August 21, 2008: Saudi Arabia executed two Pakistanis convicted of smuggling heroin into the kingdom, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement. Shirzada Sahib Zada was convicted of smuggling heroin into the kingdom while Yusuf Khan Noor Muhammad was found guilty of taking delivery and selling the drugs. The two were beheaded by the sword in Dammam, in eastern Saudi Arabia. Sources: RTT News, 21/08/2008
The public relations unit of the Sistan-Baluchestan Province judiciary department in Iran announced that the Zahedan Islamic Revolution Court issued a ruling on the execution of Bahram Nikpur. He was charged with carrying and possessing 14 kg of opium and 6 kg of heroin. The execution was carried out in Zahedan prison after approval by officials of the top judiciary department. (Sources: BBC, 20/08/2008)
Four unidentified people were hanged for rape and drug trafficking in an unspecified prison in Iran. (Sources: Agence France Presse, 20/08/2008)