Iran executes five murderers, pardons five others

Tehran: Five convicted murderers were hanged in Iran and five others were pardoned, a government newspaper said on Thursday.

All ten men were scheduled to be executed on Wednesday morning, but five of them were sent back to their cells after the victim's families agreed to accept “blood money'' to spare their lives.

Under Sharia, a victim's relatives may pardon the murderer in return for financial compensation.

No details on the compensation was given.

Those executed included a 33-year-old man who shot two boys to death, a 25-year-old who killed another man in a fight over a phone card and a man in his 20s who robbed and murdered a 80-year-old woman.