Sina suffered from mental disorder. Like many hopeless Iranian youth , he was also addicted to drugs. According to United nations statistics, Islamic Republic of Iran has the highest proportion of opiate addicts in the world — 2.8 percent of the population over age 15 and that does not include all other forms drugs that have been made accesible to Iranian youth who represent majority of Iranian population. A 10 billion dollar market which amounts to three quarters of the total revenue from Iran’s oil market during the same period. Sina was simply another byproducts of the a society that the Iranian Mullahs have created.

That day in 2004, Sina went to the park that to buy drugs where a fight broke out between him and the drug dealer. 16 year old Sina stabbed the man……

Later Sina Paymand was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.  Last year the Supreme Court of Islamic regime in Iran upheld the death sentence . He was then scheduled to be hanged on 20 September 2006, two weeks after his 18th birthday. Many human right activists and organization including Nazanin Afshin-Jam at the time objected to the execution of Sina.

September 20th, was the first day of fall and the first day of school for Iranian children but this year was different for Sina. It was not the voice of his parents that woke him up to go to school but it was the voice of prison guards.

 ”Wake up, today is the day.” Sina heard.

After he was prepared, he was taken to the execution pole. The prison Mullah read parts of Koran to him. The verse started with a sentence: “In the name of God, the most merciful, the most compassionate”. The verses were echoing in Sina’s head. How could the government appointed Mullah believe in those words if they were walking him to his death?! 

“Do you have any final wish?” said the executioner as he put the noose around Sina’s neck.

“Yes” replied Sina . ”I’d like to play my flute one last time”

Sina waited until a prison official of Tehran ‘s Rajai-Shar prison brought the flute from his cell.  As he was blowing into the flute playing his favorite song, Sina could almost feel his last breaths.

As Sina neared the end of his favorite melody, silence fell across the prison yard as if everyone knew the end of Sina‘ song was also a signal to the end of his 18 year young life.

The executioner put the rope around Sina’s neck again. He heard someone shout, “STOP!” 

Executioner turned to the voice. It was one of family members of the murdered man who were there to observe the execution. “Don’t kill him, we will ask for blood money”!

According to Sharia laws of Iran , the family of the victim can decide about the life or death of the accused and in return ask for blood money retribution.

Last month Sina was ordered to pay $150,000 to the family of the deceased but his father was only able to gather $70,000.  

Yesterday in a desperate plea to Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Sina’s attorney, Mrs. Nasrin Sotoudeh said:  “We have no more legal remedies to stop the execution of Sina Paymand, it can happen anytime. His father could not come up with the money” 

Last month the Iranian government executed a minor and Sina could be next. Please help save Sina’s life. As his attorney told Stop Child Execution Campaign, “You are Sina’s last hope.”