The Photo As Evidence: Hangings in Iran
It was so nice to see the photos of the jubilant Iraqi soccer team on the front page of the New York Times, and reading the accompanying comments to the effect that having a winning team might spur peace throughout the country. Maybe the photos were evidence of something good that is about to happen. But as for evidence, we should also be seeing pictures like this one, which shows a public hanging that took place in the city of Mashad, Iran.
It was so nice to see the photos of the jubilant Iraqi soccer team on the front page of the New York Times, and reading the accompanying comments to the effect that having a winning team might spur peace throughout the country. Maybe the photos were evidence of something good that is about to happen. But as for evidence, we should also be seeing pictures like this one, which shows a public hanging that took place in the city of Mashad, Iran. (The image is credited to Halabisaz/AP.) According to reports I’ve read, the men were convicted of rape, but the hanging itself was part of a very visible crackdown on local “thugs.” An additional 12 people were hanged last week in Tehran for “rape, criminal acts, abduction, and selling drugs.” Somehow, this image didn’t make the Times front page. Did anyone else see it anywhere?
–David Schonauer