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[No] capital punishment... shall be
imposed for offences committed by persons
below eighteen years of age
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Article
37(a) of the UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child
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According to the United Nations, a child is a person
under the age of 18. Despite the fact that the government
of Iran has signed International Covenants that forbid
them to execute anyone who has allegedly committed
an offence before the age of 18, they continue to
do so. Amnesty International has documented 31 executions
of child offenders in Iran since 1990. In many cases,
these minors have been imprisoned until the age of
18 and then executed. Currently, there are at least
95 minors on death row in Iran.
Stop Child Executions Campaign is created to raise
awareness about this issue, and more importantly to
put an end to one of the most heinous manifestations
of the death penalty -- its use against children.
It is only through pressure on the government of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, both internally in Iran
and internationally that we can make a difference.
Over the years we have witnessed child offenders being
saved and even released from prison through international
pressure as seen in the cases of Nazanin Fatehi and
Afsaneh Norouzi.
In order not to have to save one life at a time,
please sign the petition and join our campaign to
STOP CHILD EXECUTIONS once and for all.
This website and our campaign are a work in progress.
The more information we receive from the general public,
individual lawyers working on these cases and from
international organizations, the more we are able
to update the website and to provide a stronger action
plan. We also encourage and appreciate cooperation
from the United Nations, Amnesty International, Government
Officials, International Organizations and media in
this humanitarian mission.
Your donations can
also greatly help the children on death row.
You can sign up for our newsletter
here. To volunteer your time and expertise or
for suggestions visit here.
Thank you for caring
Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Stop Child Executions Campaign
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The overwhelming international
consensus that the death penalty should not apply
to juvenile offenders stems from the recognition
that young persons, because of their immaturity,
may not fully comprehend the consequences of their
actions and should therefore benefit from less
severe sanctions than adults. More importantly,
it reflects the firm belief that young persons
are more susceptible to change, and thus have
a greater potential for rehabilitation than adults.
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Mary
Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights
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