2014 Photo Contest, General News, 3rd prize

Moments Before the Hanging

Photographer

Amir Pourmand

ISNA

20 January, 2013

Alireza Mafiha (23) lays his head on an executioner’s shoulder on 20 January, minutes before he and Mohammad Ali Sarvari (20) were hanged.

About the photographer

Amir Pourmand

Amir Pourmand is an Iranian photographer with an extensive career covering sports, natural disasters in Iran and the Iranian presidential elections. In 2008, Pourmand earned a BA...

Background story

Alireza Mafiha (23) lays his head on an executioner’s shoulder on 20 January, minutes before he and Mohammad Ali Sarvari (20) were hanged. The pair had been convicted of stabbing a man and stealing his bag, with belongings worth around €15. The man survived the attack. Iran is the second-highest executioner in the world. In 2013, the death sentence is believed to have been carried out on some 600 people.

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/200
Focal length
52.0 mm
F-Stop
2.8
ISO
1250
Camera
Nikon D3

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