UN Experts: Overturn Child Offender Hossein Shahbazi’s Death Sentence

Several UN special rapporteurs have called on Iranian authorities to stop executing child offenders. Javed Rahman, the UN special rapporteur on Iran, has demanded the commutation of Hossein Shahbazi’s death sentence, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged crime.

Javed Rahman, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, along with several other UN special rapporteurs, announced on Thursday, December 23 (January 13) in Geneva that the death sentence against Hossein Shahbazi should be commuted in accordance with international human rights standards, as he was a minor at the time of the alleged crime.

According to the Catholic News Agency (KNA), these rapporteurs have called on Iran’s judicial authorities to halt executions of child offenders.

In November 2021, the death sentence against Arman Abdolali was carried out. He was accused of killing his girlfriend at the age of 17. The sentence was executed despite the victim’s family’s refusal to grant a pardon and efforts made to prevent the execution.

UN special rapporteurs state that currently 85 child offenders are on death row in Iran.

A month ago, the Iran Human Rights Organization, citing an informed source, stated that Iranian judicial officials had informed Hossein Shahbazi’s family that his execution had been postponed for 10 days. The source added that his lawyer had filed an Article 477 petition seeking commutation of the death sentence.

Previously, Amnesty International had warned about the imminent execution of Hossein Shahbazi, who was only 17 years old when the murder was allegedly committed. It was reported that the child offender had been transferred to solitary confinement and his family has been called for a final visit.

Source: DW