WHEN a renowned Iranian artist hosted friends at his apartment in Teheran last month, he served, as he did often, a bottle of homemade aragh, a traditional Iranian vodka distilled from raisins, that he had secured from a trusted dealer.
Iran’s prohibition of the drinking and selling of alcohol has led to a flourishing underground market. But even officials have acknowledged a wave of hospitalizations and deaths in recent months.
Iran is still meting out harsh punishments on those suspected of involvement in mass protests, including "chilling" executions, a UN fact-finding mission said on July 5.
Iran executed three men on July 4 who were convicted of raping women they had lured to a fake cosmetic surgery clinic and injected with anaesthetic drugs.