Iran hangs 9 men to death as Rights groups urge to abolish practice

Iranian media say nine men convicted of raping a woman have been hanged.

The Arman daily reported Sunday that the men broke into the woman's villa in the southern Fars province and raped her, without specifying when the crime took place. They were hanged Saturday after the Supreme Court reaffirmed their sentence earlier this month.

Arman quoted Ali Alghasimehr, the provincial chief justice, as saying that the woman withdrew her complaint but that authorities carried out the punishment anyway.

Rights groups say Iran is one of the world's leading executioners, and have repeatedly called on it to abolish the death penalty.