AP Irans parliament has voted to end the death penalty for certain drug violations in a move that could prevent some 5,000 convicted smugglers from being executed. The semi-official ISNA news agency says a majority of lawmakers voted Sunday to amend the law so that only drug kingpins, armed dealers and those convicted of smuggling more than 50 ...

RFERL | Frud Bezhan: Iranian lawmakers have proposed changes to the countrys tough antidrugs laws, a move that could abolish the death penalty for some drug-related crimes. If approved by parliament, a proposed amendment could curb the number of executions in the Islamic republic, which has one of the highest rates of capital punishment in the world....