Amnesty International: Dozens of Offenders Under 18 Await Execution in Iran

Amnesty International has announced in a recent report that dozens of offenders under the age of 18 are awaiting execution in Iran. This new report titled "Coming of Age Under Sentence of Death: Juvenile Offenders and the Death Penalty" was published on Monday, January 25. Amnesty International states that this report exposes recent efforts by Iranian authorities to cover up the ongoing violations of the rights of minors. Iran is among the last countries still executing offenders under 18. Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated: "This report shows how shamelessly Iran disregards the rights of minors. Iran is one of the few countries that continues to execute those who were under 18 at the time of their crime, while international laws absolutely prohibit their execution." He added: "Despite some reforms in juvenile justice procedures in Iran, the country remains behind the rest of the world in this regard, as it enforces laws that allow for the death penalty for girls from the age of 9 and boys from the age of 15." Amnesty International asserts that Iran, as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, should under no circumstances allow offenders under 18 to be sentenced to death or life imprisonment. The human rights organization states that between 2005 and 2015, at least 73 offenders under 18 were executed in Iran, and according to the United Nations, at least 160 offenders under 18 are awaiting execution in the country. The actual number of minors under sentence of death is believed to be much higher. Following the execution of two minors in Iran earlier this year, the UN Secretary-General strongly condemned these executions. Ahmad Shahid, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, also reacted to the execution of Fatemeh Salabih and Zaman Zahabi, stating: "These two cases are painful examples of the rising number of executions and concerns regarding the lack of fair trial standards in the Islamic Republic of Iran." Christophe Hein, an expert on extrajudicial executions at the UN, condemned these executions as "illegal killings by the government." He added: "These cases are deep tragedies that diminish the value of human life and consequently the dignity of the country. Executing a juvenile offender, especially after a trial that raises significant doubts about its fairness, is a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and violates the Charter on the Rights of Children." In this context, UN experts condemned the execution of juvenile defendants in Iran, warning of a 25% increase in executions in the country. Ahmad Shahid stated that the number of executions in Iran is higher than in any other country. The UN has expressed "deep concern" over human rights violations in Iran.