Iran hanged three men in public today for raping and robbing 12 young women, Iranian media reported.
The men were executed in front of thousands of spectators at a sports complex in the northern city of Babol.
Babol Public prosecutor Fazlollah Vakilirad said they began their "immoral acts" three years ago, Fars News Agency said. Fars said the men were hunted down after one girl gave her attackers large sums of money so they would not rape her, and then went to the police.
The number of executions in Iran has risen since July with the launch of a summer crackdown on "immoral behaviour". Police have arrested dozens of murderers, rapists and drug traffickers.
At least 60 people have been put to death since mid-July, including 21 on September 5th alone, according to a count based on Iranian media reports.
Amnesty International, which says Iran has one of the highest rates of executions in the world, said earlier this month it had recorded 210 so far this year, compared with 177 for all of 2006.
Iran says it is prosecuting criminals under its Islamic sharia law and rejects criticism of its human rights record.
Murder, rape, adultery, armed robbery, apostasy and drug smuggling are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia law, imposed after the 1979 revolution.