Last year on this date, an astonishing scene unfolded at a public hanging in Mashhad, near the Iran-Afghanistan border.
Vahid Zare, a robber who murdered a young military conscript pursuing him, was the man due for execution.
Moments after he was dropped and began strangling, the family of his victim pardoned him — their right under Iranian law. Zare was immediately rescued mid-hanging, and his executioner helped him off the gallows for transportation to a local hospital.
The graphic pictures that follow tell an astonishing story.
On this day..
- 1811: Arthur William Hodge, brutal slaveowner
- 1643: Philippe Giroux, former president of the Dijon Parlement
- 1916: Eamonn Ceannt, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert, and Sean Heuston
- 1679: La Bosse, Poison Affair culprit
- 1805: Not Bartlett Ambler, possible buggerer
- 1945: Pvt. George Edward Smith, on VE Day
- 1885: Mose Caton, beastly husband
- 1979: Twenty-one by revolutionary courts of the Iranian Revolution
- Daily Double: The Iranian Revolution
- 1788: Archibald Taylor, but not Joseph Taylor
- 1951: Willie McGee
- 1794: Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, father of modern chemistry
- Daily Double: Revolutionary Justice
- 1948: U Saw and the assassins of Aung San
- 1887: Alexander Ilyich Ulyanov, Lenin's brother
Execution show the muslim’s bestiality…why not burn him alive while you are at it!
Wow. Just pardoned like that. Amazingly bizarre. I am against execution. Knowing that there have been innocent people convicted and sentenced to prison and death…I can’t support that shit. One innocent imprisoned executed person is one too many.
But this case…you never hear about anything like this. Here in the States, sure the family of the victim can forgive the killer, even ask for mercy for them…but that doesn’t changes much of anything….in regards to shorter sentences or pardons.
Stupid weird question. If such a law(?) would be enacted in the states, would that help decrease murders?
Wow, what an unselfish act to carry out by the grieving family, i don’t know if i would’ve been able to do the same had it been a member of my family.
These are fascinating photos — it brings to mind the whole “a picture is worth a thousand words” thing.