Another youth sentenced to death in Iran

According to Etemaad newspaper, an 18 year Iranian youth was sentenced to death yesterday for murder of a neighbour that took place 3 years ago. Hamed in his court testimony stated that at the time of murder , he was only 15 years old. He also added : ” At the time I was in need of money and I asked the Zabiholah (victim) for help. He wrote me a check for 900 thousand tomans ($900 dollars). He did this because of my father’s credit but my father didn’t know anything about this. I made a plan and took Zabiholah to a bare lot and told him that the land belonged to my father and I took the money because my father was in need of it, but he should not tell this to my dad. After listening to me, he realized that I had lied to him and became angry. Afterwards we got in to a fight and I stabbed him, but I didn’t mean to kill him. It is true that I have done an irreversible act but I am asking the victims daughter for forgiveness. During my years in prison, I have changed a lot. I have studied, obtained my diploma and I have prayed for a second chance in life” 
Although the two sons of the victim did not want Hamed to be executed, his 4 daughters demanded his death penalty. Thereafter the 5 judges (names: Rahimi, Tardast, Koohkamari, Salari and Bagheri) unanimously confirmed the death penalty. According to Iran’s Islamic Sharia law, the victim’s family may grant clemensy to the accused who is found guilty of a capital crime. The age of the accused at the time of the crime plays no role in judiciary’s decisions and at best they keep the children alive until they reach 18 years of age before executing them.
Stop Child Execution Campaign condemns the execution of those who have committed a crime before the age of 18. The verdict is in direct violation of United Nation Children Right Covenants. We are in process of informing the Iranian attorneys and Amnesty International of this most recent death penalty verdict. 
After obtaining Ayatollah Shahrudi’s approval, Iranian authorities last month executed another youth in the city of Shiraz. To help save Hamed and other children facing death penalty in Iran please:
  

  • Sign the Stop Child Executions Petition

  • Contact everyone you know and ask them to sign the petition

  • Post the link to this site on blogs, Internet Forums and Chat rooms.
    Also See Link To Us

  • Write personal letters to the UN and ask them to put pressure on the Iranian Officials to stop the executions of those who have allegedly committed an offence before the age of 18.

    • UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and
      UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, Louise Arbour at:
      Petitions Team
      Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
      United Nations Office at Geneva
      1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
      Fax: 41 22 917 9022
      (particularly for urgent matters)
      E-mail: tb-petitions@ohchr.org