"Execution of three teenagers in Iran"; Human Rights Watch calls for halt to execution of juvenile offenders

Following the execution in January of three people who were under 18 years old at the time of their crimes, Human Rights Watch called on the Iranian government to halt the execution of juvenile offenders.

Human Rights Watch, headquartered in New York, said in a statement on Wednesday, February 8: "Iran should immediately and unconditionally halt the execution of people who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime and move towards the complete abolition of the death penalty."

The statement details the execution of three of these criminals during January: Amir Hosseinpour Jafar, Ali Kazemi, and Mahboobeh Mofidi.

Amir Hosseinpour Jafar, 18, was executed on January 4th in Karaj Prison for raping and murdering a three-year-old girl at the age of 16.

Ali Kazemi, who reportedly stabbed a man to death during a fight at the age of 15, was executed on January 30 .

Mahbooba Mofidi, 20, who murdered her husband at the age of 16 after four years of marriage, was also executed on the same day.

The news of these executions came just after the Iranian judiciary passed new laws reducing the death penalty for drug offenders, thus sparing thousands of people from the death penalty.

“Iran appears to be trying to offset the positive impact of modest reforms to the death penalty for drug offenders by executing juvenile offenders,” said Sarah Lee Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

The human rights organization adds: “Iran is one of only four countries to have executed juvenile offenders since 2013.” The others include Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Amnesty International also says that from 2015 to the beginning of this year, at least 87 people have been executed in Iran for committing crimes when they were under the age of 18.

Source: Radio Farda