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Released Hossein Toranj was implicated in a fight that broke out between several boys in Shahrakeh Gharb in August 2003, when he was 17 years old. He claims that he came to his little brother's defence from a man named Morteza in possession of a knife, and he said he threw knives towards Morteza twice to ward him away. He said he did not intend to kill anyone, rather he just wanted to scare off his attacker. Hossein's mother spoke with Morteza's family and managed to obtain a pardon from them, and he has now been released from prison. More information: |
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Pardoned Reza and his friend was sitting on the sidewalk when they were approached by two men, Esmail Daroudi and Mohammad Firouzi, who started harassing them and then proceeded to attack Reza and his friend with a nunchaku (a Japanese weapon used in martial arts). Reza Alinejad says that he pulled out a pocket knife during the struggle and accidentally stabbed and killed one of the men. In December 2004 the Supreme Court rejected the death sentence, accepting that Reza Alinejad had acted in self-defence. The Supreme Court sent the case back to another lower court for investigation, where he on 15 June 2005 was sentenced to death again.On 9 May 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence. Reza was released on 3 December 2008 after his family had paid diyeh (blood money) to the family of the victim. They had to mortgage their home and borrow a large sum of money at a high interest rate to secure the monye. The amount paid has not been disclosed. Reza maintains his innocence and says that the death was as a result of defending himself against the attackers. More information:
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Pardoned Saeed Jazee was imprisoned for murder in 2003 at the age of 17 and was pardoned in July 2008. According to Saeed's explaination he was a sculpturing artist who went to the sandwich shop of his close friend to eat while his family were on vacation. He picked a sandwich and started eating and the new employee, Morteza Jaan-Zamin, who did not know Saeed started arguing, took the kitchen knife and attacked Saeed . Saeed resisted and the knife fell and Saeed in order to scare and stop the employee picked up the knife, but the employee charged towards him while Saeed was holding the knife. After being injured, Saeed tried to help and even other employees who had seen the incident hid the knife since they felt that Saeed was not at fault. At July 24, 2008 in a memorial ceremony named Khoon Bas (Enough Blood), the parents of the victim officially pardoned Saeed. In return they have received Dieh (Blood Money) however the amount of retribution has not been disclosed. More information:
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Pardoned Ali Mahin Torabi was sentenced for murdering another youth, Mazdak Khodadadian, during an argument in Bani Hashemi High School in February 2003. He was 16 years old at the time. According to Ali's testimony, he did not know Mazdak had been stabbed until he heard shouting from the crowd that had gathered around them. In July 2008 Ali's death sentence was overturned by Iran's head of judiciary, Ayatollah Shahrudi. More information:
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Free At February 22, 2008, Mohammad Latif was released from Saveh prison in Iran. Faced with international pressure, Ayatollah Shahroudi sent the file back for mediation between the families of the victim and Mohammad where he was ultimately pardoned. When Mohammad Latif was released from prison he went to the cemetery and cried on Mansour’s grave asking for forgiveness. After 3 years in prison and facing execution, the 18-year-old Mohammad said that the victim never left his mind. Although he was in a state of shock when he was released he said, "I never intended to kill him and that is why I felt like I will not be executed. When asked about his opinion of the legal process of his file, he replied: “I was not happy with it. The death sentence was unjust". More information:
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Pardoned Mohsen was accused of killing his brother's friend 3 years ago , at the age of 15, during a soccer game after the alleged victim and his younger brother get in to a fight. He was consequently sentenced to death by hanging. The verdict was approved by Iran's superior court but the file was sent to the mediation committee which resulted in pardon by victim's family on December 25, 2007. Source:
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Free Sina's death sentence was overturned after his family and private donors managed to collect and pay $ 160000 in blood money to the family of the victim. On December 24, 2007 Sina was released after spending 3 1/2 years in prison. |
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Free Hafez Ibrahim was sentenced to death in 2005 for a murder he allegedly committed when he was 16. Hafez Ibrahim was released on 30 October after the family of the man he was convicted of murdering agreed to pardon him in exchange for diyeh (compensation) of 25 million Yemeni riyals (approximately USD$126,217).
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Free According to a Tehran newspaper from the 28 november 2004, Leyla Mafi, now aged 20 (beginning of year 2007, though her real age differ according to the different sources), but having, according to repeated tests of social workers, a mental age of height, was forced into prostitution by her mother when she was only 8 years old, and afterwards was raped repeatedly. She was sentenced to death by a court in Arak (240 south-west of Tehran) while she was 18, but for "offences" committed before this age. According to the 5 may 2004 issue of the daily newspaper Khorasan, the charges against her where "acts contrary to chastity" (a’mal-e khalaf-e ‘ofat), controlling a brothel, having intercourse with blood relatives (eteham-e zena ba maharem) and giving birth to an illegitimate child. The sentence was, apparently, based on their own confessions. We must also note, according to the SAFIR (Franco-Iranian Jurists and Lawyers Society), 28 february 2005, that no independant evaluation of the age and of the mental abilities of Leyla Mafi had been conducted. In October 2005, after a campaign run by human rights activists, based on the fact that she was a minor at the time of her "offences", her death sentence was overturned by the presiding judge of Branch 104 of the General Court of Arak, who nevertheless sentenced her to receive 99 lashes, to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment and to reside for six months in a women’s rehabilitation centre. According to the Norwegian daily newspaper Aftenposten, 10 january 2007, she now lives in a private learning center called Omide Mehr in Tehran, where she is protected from her family if they should come after her again. She has learned to read and write, cook and mend clothes, and she has gotten the will to live back again. Sources:
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