Amnesty International Criticizes Death Sentence of Child Offender in Shiraz

On Friday, October 19, Amnesty International issued a statement urging the Islamic Republic not to execute Mohammad Reza Azizi, a 21-year-old who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime. Amnesty International announced that Iranian authorities plan to carry out Mr. Azizi's execution on Monday, October 21, in Shiraz. This international human rights organization described Mohammad Reza Azizi's death sentence as contrary to international laws that prohibit the death penalty for individuals who were under 18 at the time of the alleged crime, to which the Islamic Republic is also committed. Mohammad Reza Azizi, a child offender imprisoned in Shiraz Central Prison, was arrested and sentenced to qisas (retribution) for 'premeditated murder.' Born on August 24, 2003, he was arrested on September 19, 2020, when he was only 17 years and 27 days old. Sara Hashash, Deputy Regional Director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa, described the planned execution of Mohammad Reza Azizi as a display of 'oppression and tyranny' by Iranian authorities and their 'clear and repeated disregard' for the right to life and violations of children's rights. This Amnesty International official also emphasized that Mohammad Reza Azizi's right to a fair trial was violated, including through interrogation without a lawyer and the court's reliance on his 'coerced confessions' as evidence for his conviction, calling his execution 'arbitrary deprivation of the right to life.' Amnesty International has called for the immediate cancellation of Mohammad Reza Azizi's death sentence and urged Iranian authorities to provide him with an opportunity for a retrial in full compliance with international standards and without resorting to the death penalty. Amnesty International stated that it reviewed the legal documents of this case and found that the forensic organization under the supervision of the Iranian judiciary concluded 'without providing an explanation' regarding how the crime occurred that Azizi had reached 'mental growth and maturity' at the time of the alleged crime. The 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign, consisting of hunger-striking prisoners from over 22 prisons in Iran, announced in a statement on October 16 that the number of executions in the previous week exceeded 36, including two children named Mehdi Barahoui and Ali Shiravani, who were among the executed despite being 17 and 15 years old, respectively, at the time of their arrest, contrary to the law established by the 'Convention on the Rights of the Child.' The Islamic Republic has repeatedly sentenced child offenders to death, and Iran has the highest number of juvenile executions in the world. Despite the fact that the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibit the issuance and execution of death sentences for individuals under 18, the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to carry out this punishment, justifying it by claiming it must be consistent with Sharia and domestic laws. A gathering was held in London to raise awareness about the execution of protesters by the Islamic Republic in Iran. Reactions continue regarding the potential execution of four political prisoners in Ahvaz; a human rights organization stated that this punishment is government-sanctioned murder. A warning from a human rights organization: Mohammad Reza Azizi, a child offender imprisoned in Shiraz, is at risk of execution. The 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign reported that 36 individuals, including two children, were executed in the past seven days. The UN Special Rapporteur called for unrestricted access to human rights resources in Iran. A report from a human rights organization indicated nearly 7,000 executions in the past 13 years.