Human Rights Watch Criticizes Execution of Offenders Under 18 in Iran

Human Rights Watch, based in New York, criticized the execution of offenders under 18 in Iran in a statement released on Tuesday, August 9, calling it a violation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. The statement noted that, according to the United Nations, about 160 individuals who were under the legal age at the time of their crimes are being held in prisons across Iran, awaiting execution. Human Rights Watch stated that most of these individuals were tried 'without adherence to international standards' and were subjected to torture and mistreatment during their detention. In its statement, Human Rights Watch introduced Alireza Tajiki, a 19-year-old accused of 'murder and rape,' who was only 15 at the time of the crime. This human rights organization described Alireza Tajiki's trial process as 'unfair and not in accordance with international standards' and called for the halt of his execution. Human Rights Watch also referred to a recent Amnesty International statement regarding the execution of Hassan Afshar, an under-18 accused in Arak, as another instance of the Iranian government's violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, noting that this teenager did not have access to a defense attorney during his trial. Mohammad Reza Hadadi is another 27-year-old who has been sentenced to death for murder, although Amnesty International claims he was 15 at the time of the crime. Human Rights Watch further urged the Iranian judiciary to prepare for retrials for all offenders under 18, ensuring compliance with human rights norms and international standards. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has signed, prohibit the execution of individuals who were under 18 at the time of their crimes. Amnesty International also reported last February that at least 73 offenders under 18 were executed in Iran between 2005 and 2015, with dozens more awaiting execution in prisons across the country. This human rights organization asserts 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. Mohammad Javad Larijani, Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary, recently responded to international criticism regarding the execution of offenders under 18, stating on August 5 to the Tasnim news agency: 'In Iran, there are no executions under 18; rather, offenders receive death sentences, and the sentences are not carried out until they reach mental maturity.' The Iranian judiciary executes condemned teenagers after they reach the age of 18. However, international organizations consider the execution of condemned teenagers after they reach legal age to be contrary to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and global laws, asserting that Iranian officials should consider the age at which the crime was committed as the applicable standard. Iran has the second-highest number of executions in the world after China.