Young Man Charged with Murder at 17 Faces Execution Risk in Mahabad Prison

The execution order of Danial Zein-Al-Abedin, an individual accused of committing murder before turning 18 years old, will be carried out after the month of Ramadan.

The Iran Human Rights Organization reported on Tuesday, April 27, that a relative of Danial Zein-Al-Abedin stated that unofficial sources informed the prisoner’s family that his execution order is set to be carried out after the end of Ramadan, and the blood money heirs have also prepared the additional payment amount.

This informed source told the Iran Human Rights Organization: “Danial has suffered severe psychological problems due to psychological pressure and lost control of himself, injuring his entire body and limbs.”

Seyyed Danial Zein-Al-Abedin, born on August 10, 2000, was arrested at the age of 17 on charges of participation in the murder and arson of Sadegh Barmaki along with three other young men in an incident that occurred on September 22, 2017. He was sentenced to death by the Mahabad Criminal Court One, and this sentence was upheld by Branch 37 of the Supreme Court.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization, the death sentence for Danial Zein-Al-Abedin was issued and upheld despite the fact that, according to his relatives and evidence in his case file, he played no role in setting fire to Sadegh Barmaki (the victim), and according to forensic medical opinion, the primary cause of the victim’s death was burns from fire.

Amnesty International reported in April that Iran alone has been responsible for 97 executions of children under 18 years old since 1990 worldwide, equivalent to two-thirds of all such executions.

Amnesty International has documented the cases of 90 individuals who were under 18 years old at the time the crime was committed and are currently on death row in Iran. Although the actual number is higher.

Previously, Amnesty International reported on April 11 that the rate of execution of death sentences worldwide declined in 2018, but one-third of “executions recorded globally” in that year, totaling 253 cases, were carried out in Iran.

Source: Voice of America