Tribal Jirga Executes Four People on Adultery Charges in Rural Pakistan

Tribesmen in northwestern Pakistan say they publicly executed four people Monday, on charges of adultery.

The three men and one woman were taken from a home in the Khyber region and shot dead in a public square after confessing their crime to a tribal council, or jirga.

Tribal leaders confirmed the four were punished according to their customs and tradition.

Human rights organizations have criticized such public executions. The punishments often occur in Pakistan's remote, semi-autonomous tribal areas, where the federal government has limited jurisdiction.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.