Individuals at Risk

Iran steps up juvenile executions in 2007 and 2008

urgent-action on August 21, 2008 at 3:01 PM

Days after Iran executed by hanging Reza Hejazi for a crime he committed at age 15, Mohammad Feda'i awaits execution in Iran for a crime he committed when he was only 17.

Feda'i, who was granted a one month stay of execution on August 14, killed a boy named Said during a fight. He was not adequately represented during his trial, yet the Supreme Court has upheld his execution. Feda'i will be executed in September if his family cannot come to an agreement over financial compensation with the family of the boy he killed.

Though Mohammad Feda'i was granted a stay of execution until September, Iran's executioners can be unpredictable. For example, Reza Hejazi's lawyer was told that his execution was halted, only to find out a few hours later that he had been hanged.

Iran has stepped up its executions of child offenders. From 1990 until 2006, Iran had executed 23 juvenile offenders. In 2007 Iran executed eight child offenders, and since the beginning of 2008, Iran has executed five juvenile offenders. Another 75 juvenile offenders sit on death row, including Naser Qasemi, Mohammad Reza Haddadi and Iman Hashemi, who Amnesty International has released Urgent Actions.

Iran's execution of juvenile offenders violates international law. Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both prohibiting the execution of persons whose crime was committed when they were under 18.

To take action to stop Iran from executing more juvenile offenders, please see Urgent Actions 71/08 and 146/08.

Chelsea Toy

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Comments: 1

chrispin miles

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on October 24, 2008 at 2:34 AM

Executing juviniles is a dispicable crime against humanity period.The phrase period in this sentence shows how i vehemently disagree with the act of killing someone who is not yet properly developed to reason for his or herself in regards to the crime he or she may have committed.However,there has to be a strong reason that leads to such actions by a state.
Lets consider the gravity of some offences committed by some juviniles such as multiple murders or second time offenders whom have already navigated the judicial system but show no sign of improvement should be considered real threat to humanity.In this sense, it begins to make more sense why some juviniles must face punishment that commensurates with the crime committed.
Yet this does not mean that execution is the only form of punishment that should be performed to eradicate juvinile offenders.Lifetime incarceration is to me the greatest way to handle such juvinile offenders.This way, they are unable to harm another person and at the same time it send a strong message to would be juvinile offenders and especially the masterminders behind most crimes committed by teenagers.