UN experts call for halt to death sentence for prisoner in Iran
UN experts have called for a halt to the execution of two young men on the verge of execution in Iran.
These experts have called on Iranian authorities to halt the execution of Mohammad Kalhori, who was convicted of murdering his teacher at the age of fifteen.
UN human rights officials say they have received reports of the execution of Mohammad Kalhori after the end of Ramadan and, citing international law that prohibits the death penalty for defendants under the age of eighteen, have called on Iran to immediately reverse the death sentence of Mohammad Kalhori.
In a statement, UN human rights experts emphasized that the execution of Mohammad Kalhori would be illegal under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Rights of the Child.
The UN statement said that after exerting influence from a government official and a member of parliament, the Supreme Court of Iran commuted Mohammad Kalhori's prison sentence and fine to the death penalty.
UN experts simultaneously called for a halt to the execution of Ramin Hossein Panahi, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death.
This request was made after it was said that this prisoner's sentence is also scheduled to be executed now that the month of Ramadan has ended.
On Monday, June 19, these experts, in addition to halting the execution of Ramin Hossein Panahi, called for the sentence to be overturned.
Last month, a report published by the UN Special Rapporteur on "arbitrary executions" stated that Hossein Panahi had been subjected to "ill-treatment and torture" while in detention.
Previously, more than 2,000 political, social, and civil activists had signed a letter calling for the immediate halt and cancellation of Ramin Hossein Panahi's death sentence.
The letter also quotes the prisoner's lawyer as saying that the death sentence for Ramin Hossein Panahi was issued through the influence of intelligence and the IRGC, and according to Iran's domestic and criminal laws, Ramin Hossein Panahi does not deserve to be punished not only with death but also with prison.
Previously, seven political prisoners imprisoned in Gohardasht Prison in Karaj had published an open letter calling on all human rights organizations to spare no effort to overturn the death sentence of Ramin Hossein Panahi.
Amnesty International had previously emphasized that Mr. Hossein Panahi was sentenced to death in an unfair trial.
Ramin Hossein Panahi, who was arrested in July last year on charges of being a member of the Kurdistan Komala Party, has been severely tortured during this time, according to reports from human rights organizations.
Source: Voice of America
