Concerns of Amnesty International Regarding the Death Sentence Issued for Amir Amrollahi

On Wednesday, March 2, Amnesty International issued a statement expressing concern over the reissuance of the death sentence for Amir Amrollahi, a teenager accused of murder at the age of 16. The statement noted that the court rejected the medical commission's opinion regarding Amir Amrollahi's lack of 'mental maturity' at the 'time of the crime.' Amnesty International stated that Amir Amrollahi is accused of killing someone in a personal dispute ten years ago when he was 16 years old. The international human rights organization mentioned that one branch of the criminal court in Fars province dismissed the medical commission's opinion based on the defendant's statements during detention. Amnesty International indicated that the Supreme Court had ordered a review of the case in the winter of 2014, but this fall, the court issued a death sentence for Amir Amrollahi again. Last month, Amnesty International released a report titled 'Maturing Under the Death Sentence: Juvenile Offenders and the Death Penalty,' stating that dozens of offenders under 18 years old are awaiting execution in Iran. Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, stated, 'Iran is one of the few countries that continues to execute individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crime, while international laws absolutely prohibit such executions.' 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 allowing the death penalty for girls from the age of 9 and boys from the age of 15.' Amnesty International emphasized that Iran, as a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, should not allow offenders under 18 to be sentenced to death or life imprisonment under any circumstances. The organization reported that at least 73 offenders under 18 were executed in Iran between 2005 and 2015, and according to the United Nations, at least 160 offenders under 18 are awaiting execution in the country. Human rights defenders argue that the actual number of juveniles on death row is much higher than this figure. In this context, the United Nations has called on Iran to reform its criminal laws and the marriage laws for girls.