Iran: Amnesty International condemns the execution of juvenile

Iran: Amnesty International condemns the execution of juvenile offen
Posted by: "Amnesty International India membership@am" Amnesty International India membership@amnesty. msgiri_bebl
Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:02 am (PDT)
POSTED BY: Amnesty International India membership@amnesty. org.in

Subject: Iran: Amnesty International condemns the execution of juvenile
offender Reza Hejazi

Iran: Amnesty International condemns the execution of juvenile offender Reza
Hejazi
(19 August 2008): Amnesty International unreservedly condemns the execution
today 19 July 2008, at 11am of Reza Hejazi, for a crime he committed when he
was below 18 years old. Reza Hejazi was hanged in Esfahan central prison
following his conviction for the murder, then aged about 15. His lawyer was
not informed that his execution was to be carried out, though under Iranian
law a 48 hour notification period is required. Amnesty International calls
for the Iranian Judiciary to halt all executions of juvenile offenders and
the Iranian government to ban all such executions in line with international
law.

Reza Hejazi's family were notified that he had been transferred to a cell
for those to be executed within 24 hours, and they informed his lawyer,
Mohammad Mostafaei. The lawyer reached Esfahan prison at 4.30am, and
attempted to find out when the execution was to be carried out. Prison
guards informed him that executions normally took place between 7 and 8am.
After attempting for several hours to secure a stay of execution, at around
10am Mohammad Mostafaei was told by the officer supervising executions that
Reza Hejazi's execution had been halted. He set off back to his office in
the capital, Tehran, a five-hour journey away. While he was travelling, he
was informed that Reza Hejazi was hanged at 11am.

Juvenile offender, Reza Hejazi - then aged 15 - was among a small group of
people involved in a dispute with a man on 18 September 2004, which resulted
in the man being fatally stabbed. Reza Hejazi was arrested and tried for
murder, and on 14 November 2005 he was sentenced to qesas (retribution) by
Branch 106 of the Esfahan General Court. The sentence was approved by Branch
28 of the Supreme Court in Mashhad on 6 June 2006, although under Iranian
law he should have been tried in a juvenile court.

The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law,
as stated in Article 6 (5) of the ICCPR and the Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC), of which Iran is a state party to and so has undertaken not
to execute anyone for crimes committed when they were under 18.

Since 1990 Iran has executed at least 36 juvenile offenders, including eight
in 2007. The execution today of Reza Hejazi brings the number of juvenile
executions to five so far in 2008. No other country is known to have
executed a juvenile offender in 2008.

The situation of juvenile offenders facing execution in Iran has reached
crisis levels, with at least 132 juvenile offenders known to be on death row
in Iran, although the true number could be much higher.

The organization urges the Iranian authorities to immediately stop
sentencing juvenile offenders to death and commute the sentences of these on
death row.

See for further information Urgent Action: UA 71/08, AI Index: MDE
13/049/2008, 13 March 2008 Fear of execution;
http://www.amnesty. org/en/library/ info/MDE13/ 049/2008

Press release Iran: End Execution of Juvenile Offenders, published on 29
July 2008;
http://www.amnesty. org/en/library/ info/MDE13/ 103/2008/ en

Press release Iran: Spare four youths from execution, immediately enforce
international prohibition on death penalty for juvenile offenders, published
on 8 July 2008
http://www.amnesty. org/en/for- media/press- releases/ iran-spare- four-youths- execution- immediately- enforce-internat ional-prohi