See the latest video of his father explaining that he has been given notice to visit his son for the last time as he is to be executed in Adel Abad prison in Shiraz this Tuesday July 6th 2010 (Tehran time)
http://www.peykeiran.com/Content.aspx?ID=18779.
Normally executions are carried out early in the morning which means there is just over 24 hours to take action.
His father says that at the time of the offence (see below), Mohammad Reza was 3 months shy from his 15th birthday. Under Iran’s penal code, boys are not considered adults until the age of 15 and therefore not criminally responsible for their actions. If the Islamic Republic of Iran carries out this execution they will be in breach of their own domestic laws as well as the international treaties which they have signed. This includes being in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Charter on the Rights of the Child.
His father has told news reporters that Mohammad Reza’s sister had set herself on fire from the anguish of knowing that her brother could be executed. She is crippled for life and she is in hospital. Their mother has been seriously ill for quite some time. It is a real tragedy for the entire family.
After reading the background of the case, please scroll down and read what you can do to help.
BACKGROUND:
Stop Child Executions has been following the case of Mohammad Reza Haddadi for a couple of years and through stages of stays of execution.
Eighteen year old Mohamadreza Haddadi was sentenced to death by hanging for an alleged murder at the age of 15. He is held in Adelabad prison in the city of Shiraz. He was sentenced to death in January 2004 by a court in Kazeroun for the murder of a man in 2003. He had confessed to the murder, but retracted the confession during his trial, saying he had claimed responsibility for the killing because his two co-defendants had offered his family money if he did so. Mohammad Reza Haddadi stated during the trial that he had not taken part in murder of a man who had offered him and the two others a lift in his car. The two others later supported Mohammad Reza Haddadi’s claims of innocence, and withdrew their testimony that implicated him in the murder. His co-defendants, both over 18 at the time of the crime, are said to have received lesser sentences. However, in July 2005, a branch of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Mohammad Reza Haddadi and later authorized by then Head of Iran’s Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi. He was first scheduled for execution in October 2008, but it was stayed on the order of the Head of the Judiciary. His execution was then scheduled on 27 May 2009 and 16 July 2009.
MORE INFORMATION:
Mohammad Reza’s execution order was reported for the first time by Stop Child Executions Campaign in January 12, 2008 . At the time no details were available until the new attorney Mohammad Mostafaei met Mohammadreza in Shiraz prison in the first week of February 2008. Subsequent to the initial report by SCE, the president of the European Union on behalf of 42 countries listed Mohammadreza’s name in its letter to Iranian authorities condemning the execution order. (January 25, 2008).
In a recent letter to Shahrudi, Mohammad Mostafaei detailed the incident and the flaws in the judicial processing of the case. According to the testimony of Karim Haddadi :
“ Mohammadreza Haddadi was accompanied by 3 adults: Mohammad Ghorbani, Karim Haaddai and his cousin Taghi Haddadi. They asked an old man to drive them to neighboring city and along the way when the driver stopped to fill the car radiator with water, Taghi Haddadi hit the driver in the head with a rock. According to Taghi they all beat the driver and dragged his body to the trunk of the car and drove away. According to the testimony, when they heard that the man was still alive, Taghi stopped the car and Mehdi hit the man with a piece of wood in the head. Karim testified that Taghi and 15 year old Mohammadreza strangled the man. Then they burned the body and buried it. After the arrest, Mohammadreza confess to murdering the man.
Following one of the court sessions he asked his mother if she had received a substantial amount of money promised to him by the three other men in return for his confession. After finding out that no money was given to his mother, he stated that he was lead to confession by the adults and had nothing to do with the crime..
Regardless the court decided that Mohammadreza was guilty of murder. He was sentenced to death while the three adults were sentenced to long imprisonments.
Despite the fact that the other men later testified that Mohammadreza was innocent of the crime, his appeal was still denied and the execution order was confirmed. The file was sent to division of enforcement of verdicts. The file incorrectly showed Mohammad’s age at the time of murder as 19 instead of 15. In his letter, Mostafaei asked Shahrudi to order further review of the file based on the retracted testimony of others.
Mohammadreza Haddadi was scheduled to be executed on October 9th 2008, but his execution was stayed by Ayatollah Shahrudi.
Considering Mohammad Reza’s age at the time, it was highly unlikely that the murder was planned and executed by the 15 year old instead of the other adults involved in the crime.. It is likely that Mohammad was “influenced” and taken advantage of by the adults, due to his immaturity in confessing to the crime in hopes of that due to his young age, the verdict would be more lenient.
Stop Child Executions Campaign recognizes the right and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offenses, but is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances especially for those persons guilty of crimes committed before the age of 18.
SCE has informed the High Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations and other international bodies.
To read more about Mohammad Reza visit: http://scenews.blog.com/Mohammadreza%20Haddadi/
How to take action
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY TO:
Sample:
Address: info_leader@leader.ir; info@dadiran.ir; info_leader@leader.ir; info@dadgostary-tehran.ir
To: Ayatollah Khamenei and Head of Judiciary Ayatollah Larijani,
Juvenile Mohammad Reza Haddadi, who is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday July 6th 2010, was less than 15 years old when he allegedly committed the offence of murder in 2004. He has maintained his innocence. This would be in breach of domestic Iranian laws as well as international human rights law to carry out his execution. Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child which forbids the execution of those who have committed an offence before the age of 18.
PLEASE IMMEDIATELY SEND NOTICE TO AUTHORITIES IN ADEL ABAD PRISON IN SHIRAZ TO HALT THIS EXECUTION AND PROVIDE HIM WITH A NEW TRIAL.
Sincerely,
(Your name)
