Iran executes gay teenager for crime he allegedly committed as a juvenile

Hassan Afshar denied the allegations and claimed the sexual acts were consensual

Iran is second only to China in the number of people it executes (file pic) (Getty Images)

A teenage boy has been executed in Iran for allegedly raping another teenager.

Hassan Afshar was convicted of a crime he was accused of committing when he was 17, during a two-month trial in which he received no legal representation, according to Amnesty International.

The 19-year-old denied the allegation and claimed the sexual acts were consensual and that the victim had willingly engaged in similar sexual activity on numerous occasions in the past.

Homosexual conduct is illegal under Iran’s Sharia law and is punishable by flogging and death and LGBT activists have suggested Mr Afshar was convicted and punished for being gay.

The teenager was executed behind closed doors and without his family being notified, according to Pink News. His death is the country’s first confirmed execution of a juvenile this year.

A total of 977 people were executed in Iran last year - the most in 25 years.

Iran is second only to China in the number of people it executes, according to human rights groups.