The Number of Executions and Executions of Juvenile Offenders at the Forefront of Criticism Against Iran

Javid Rahman, the third UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, appointed on July 6, has submitted his first report on the human rights situation in Iran to the UN for consideration in the Third Committee of the 73rd General Assembly. The report contains criticism of the human rights situation in Iran and recommendations for the authorities of the Islamic Republic. Hassan Naib Hashem, a human rights activist in Vienna, states about the review process of this report: "The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly has begun its work today, and according to their schedule, Javid Rahman will present his oral report to this committee on October 25 and 26. In November, a resolution, usually prepared by Canada, will be reviewed in the Third Committee and is expected to be approved. This resolution is based on the reports of Javid Rahman and Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General. After its approval in the Third Committee, it will also be reviewed and likely approved in the UN General Assembly in mid-December." In his first report, Javid Rahman emphasizes his intention to have "constructive" discussions with the Iranian authorities regarding various instances of "human rights violations" in Iran, with the number of executions being one of these issues. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, head of Iran Human Rights in Norway, states: "The main focus of this report is on the execution of juveniles in Iran. Iran remains at the top of the countries that continue to execute juveniles, and the Special Rapporteur has recommended that the Islamic Republic unconditionally change the age of criminal responsibility to 18 years. He also refers to the new law on drug trafficking penalties and welcomes the decrease in the number of executions related to these crimes. As of the time of this report, two executions of drug offenders have been recorded compared to 213 executions of these offenders last year." Javid Rahman, expressing concern over the execution of juvenile offenders, has called on Iranian authorities to annul the death sentences of individuals who committed crimes under the age of 18. According to him, at least four juvenile offenders have been executed in Iran in the first half of this year. Abdolkarim Lahiji, a lawyer in Paris, comments on the execution of individuals under the legal age: "Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a person under 18 years of age is considered a child, therefore someone who commits a crime under the age of 18 should not face the same penalties as adults; however, the unfortunate trick that the Islamic Republic employs is that it waits for the individual to reach 18 years of age and then executes them." Other issues extensively addressed in Javid Rahman's report include the right to freedom of assembly, the right to freedom of expression, the condition of prisons, women's rights, and the status of ethnic and religious minorities including Baha'is, Christians, and Gonabadi dervishes. Additionally, Javid Rahman has called for attention to the situation of human rights defenders, the status of dual-national prisoners, and the issue of mass executions in the 1980s. In another part of this report, he criticizes "torture and mistreatment of prisoners in Iran and their lack of access to medical and therapeutic facilities." Nima Hasabian, a human rights activist in Switzerland, discusses the situation of some prisoners: "Nasrin Sotoudeh has been on hunger strike for more than 20 days and has no right to visit her children, and even her husband has been arrested. Arash Sadeghi is suffering from cancer and was returned to prison one or two days after surgery, and many prisoners do not have access to a defense lawyer and are subjected to mistreatment and torture during interrogations, among other issues..." Javid Rahman has emphasized that during his mission, he will also examine the impact of US sanctions on the Iranian people and the situation of disabled individuals and sexual minorities. The UN Special Rapporteur also has recommendations for the Iranian authorities. Hassan Naib Hashem discusses some of these recommendations: "The most important recommendation is to respect the right to life and to reduce executions in Iran. Other recommendations concern torture and the implementation of flogging and amputation sentences. He has recommended that people be allowed to peacefully assemble and express their opinions. Other recommendations to Iran include signing and ratifying the Convention Against Torture and lifting internet restrictions and respecting online freedom of expression." Iran has not yet reacted to Javid Rahman's report, but in all previous cases, it has described these reports as "incorrect, biased, and politically motivated." Javid Rahman stated in an interview with Radio Farda last July that he intends to discuss the possibility of his visit to Iran with the Iranian authorities. The Iranian authorities have not allowed any UN Special Rapporteurs to visit Iran in the past seven years.