Iran should not execute juvenile defendant

According to the Society for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran (a member of the International Federation of Human Rights Societies): Today, three UN experts, Asma Jahangir (Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran), Agnes Callamard (Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions), and Benjamin David Mesmor (Chair of the Committee on the Rights of the Child), called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to halt the execution of the juvenile defendant Sajjad Sanjari.

According to the three experts, the juvenile defendant was 15 years old when he was sentenced to death in 2012 for stabbing a man to death. He was retried in February 2013 under the provisions of the Islamic Penal Code of 2013. However, in June 2015, the Kermanshah Provincial Criminal Court ruled that he had sufficient mental maturity to understand the nature of the crime at the time of the alleged crime and rejected his statements about defending himself against the attempted rape. The court upheld the death sentence, and the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence in August 2016.

The three UN experts emphasized: "Iranian authorities must immediately halt the execution of this teenager and commute his death sentence in accordance with international standards on the death penalty."

The death sentences of several other juveniles have also been upheld after retrials and a verdict of sufficient mental maturity. Since the enactment of the Islamic Penal Code in 2013, fifteen more juveniles have been sentenced to death under its provisions.

In January 2016, the Committee on the Rights of the Child called on Iran to halt the execution of children and individuals who were under 18 years of age at the time of the alleged crime.

Two of the experts, Ms. Jahangir and Ms. Callamard, also expressed deep concern over reports of the execution of 16 drug-related defendants on 14 January, stating: “Under international law, States that apply the death penalty should apply it only to the most serious crimes – namely, intentional murder. This description does not include drug-related crimes. Furthermore, information received indicates that the trials of some of these defendants were marred by violations of due process guarantees and that their trials did not meet international fair trial standards. Death sentences imposed in violation of a State’s international obligations are unlawful and amount to arbitrary executions.”

In the past two years, more than 1,000 people have been executed in Iran on drug-related charges, and around 5,000 drug defendants are currently on death row.

The two reporters declared: “Until the death penalty for drug-related charges is abolished in Iran, executions related to these charges should be suspended and all executions related to these charges should be stopped.”

According to the reporters, attacks on human rights defenders campaigning against the death penalty in Iran have increased. Several anti-death penalty activists were sentenced to long prison terms in 2016.

Following the release of the UN experts’ statement, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also reiterated the call for a halt to the execution of Sajjadi Sanjari, saying: “Iran is one of the few countries that still executes juvenile defendants, in violation of its international obligations under international human rights law, which prohibits the execution of persons under the age of 18, regardless of the circumstances of the crime.” At least five juvenile defendants were executed in 2016, and more than 78 others are on death row, although the actual number is likely much higher. The execution of juvenile defendants is abhorrent, and we call on Iran to end this practice once and for all.
The spokesman also condemned the execution of a number of drug convicts in recent days, including 14 in Karaj Central Prison and 2 in Rasht Central Prison, saying: "According to the explanation of the UN Human Rights Committee on international human rights law, drug charges are not considered among the most serious crimes, and it is regrettable that Iran still carries out the death penalty for drug charges."

Following the release of the UN experts’ statement, Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also reiterated the call for a halt to the execution of Sajjadi Sanjari, saying: “Iran is one of the few countries that still executes juvenile defendants, in violation of its international obligations under international human rights law, which prohibits the execution of persons under the age of 18, regardless of the circumstances of the crime.” At least five juvenile defendants were executed in 2016, and more than 78 others are on death row, although the actual number is likely much higher. The execution of juvenile defendants is abhorrent, and we call on Iran to end this practice once and for all.

The spokesman also condemned the execution of a number of drug convicts in recent days, including 14 in Karaj Central Prison and 2 in Rasht Central Prison, saying: "According to the explanation of the UN Human Rights Committee on international human rights law, drug charges are not considered among the most serious crimes, and it is regrettable that Iran still carries out the death penalty for drug charges."

Source: LDDHI