Amnesty International Issues Urgent Warning About the Immediate Danger of Execution for Salar Shadizadeh

On Wednesday, August 7, Amnesty International once again warned about the immediate danger of execution for Salar Shadizadeh, who is accused of committing murder at the age of 15. The human rights organization stated in a statement that the execution date for this teenager has been set for Saturday, August 10. Amnesty International had also issued a warning regarding this matter on August 6. Salar Shadizadeh is currently 24 years old and is accused of killing his friend in 2006. Mr. Shadizadeh was arrested in Bahman 1385 (February 2007) after the body of one of his friends was found in their yard, and law enforcement officials accused him of striking the victim's neck. Amnesty International previously stated that the circumstances of the murder and the details of the charges against him are unclear to the organization. Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated on Wednesday: 'The execution of Salar Shadizadeh, who was a minor at the time of his arrest, is an assault on international law. Iranian authorities must immediately halt his execution plan and ensure that his death sentence is revoked without delay.' He added: 'Iranian officials, who plan to execute a minor, undermine trust in their commitment to respect children's rights, especially just months before the review of Iran's record by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.' The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is set to review Iran's case in January 2016. According to Amnesty International, it is estimated that at least 72 minors were executed in Iran between 2005 and 2014, and at least 160 others are on death row. The organization states that international laws strictly prohibit the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by individuals under 18 years of age. On August 1, Amnesty International reported alarming statistics about executions in Iran in 2015. According to the organization, the reason for the increase in executions this year is unknown, but most of those executed were for drug-related offenses. In this context, Amnesty International called for the halt of the execution of Salar Shadizadeh.