Amnesty International Concerned About Imminent Execution of Hamid Ahmadi

Amnesty International has expressed concern over the imminent execution of Hamid Ahmadi, scheduled for Saturday. The organization states that Ahmadi confessed to committing a crime under 'torture' at the age of 17. This international human rights body notes that Ahmadi is among juvenile offenders in Iran awaiting execution. According to the statement, he is accused of killing a young man during a fight involving five people in the city of Siyahkal in Gilan province in 2008. Amnesty International added that Ahmadi was denied access to his family or a lawyer while in police custody and was tortured to confess to the murder. The statement further mentions that he was transferred to solitary confinement in Lakan prison in Rasht about two weeks ago for the execution of his sentence. Initially, Ahmadi's execution was set to take place last week, but his family was informed that it had been postponed by a week, and it is now scheduled for Saturday, February 11. Previously, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the use of the death penalty against offenders under 18 years of age violates international human rights laws. Rupert Colville emphasized that reports indicate Iran executed at least five juveniles last year, and according to available reports, 78 others are awaiting execution. These individuals committed their crimes while under 18, although the actual numbers may be much higher. International human rights organizations assert that despite the prohibition of executing juvenile offenders under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, the death penalty for juvenile offenders continues in Iran. UN human rights experts previously stated, 'The Iranian government must immediately halt the execution of this juvenile offender and comply with international standards that prohibit such sentences.' In this context, UN experts called for the halt of the execution of Sajjad Sanjari. Two human rights organizations demanded that Iran stop executing 12 drug offenders. The latest details regarding the escape of 'three juvenile defendants' from the rehabilitation center in Zahedan were also mentioned.