Although his lawyer Mr. Mohammad Mostafaei has not receive official notice of the execution date, he was informed by Mohammadreza’s father that he is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday May 27th at Adelabad prison in Shiraz where he has been imprisoned for the last 4 years.
Eighteen year old Mohammdreza Haddadi was sentenced to death by hanging for an alleged murder at the age of 15. His appeal was denied by the superior court and the file was sent to the division of enforcement of verdicts for final execution permit by Ayatollah Shahrudi, the head of Iran’s judiciary.
Mohammad Reza Haddadi, aged 18, 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 Ayatollah Shahroudi, the Head of Iran’s Judiciary.
Background:
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 behlaf of 42 countries listed Mohammadreza’s name in its letter to Iranian authorities condemning the execution order. (Januray 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 stoped 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 . Th 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 person 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.
For read more about Mohammad Reza visit: http://scenews.blog.com/Mohammadreza%20Haddadi/
Please send urgent appeals
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence, as he is facing execution for a crime committed when he was under 18 which in accordance with Iran’s obligations as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is against international human rights law.
APPEALS TO:
Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
c/o Director, Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office
Ardeshir Sadiq
Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office
No. 57, Pasteur St., corner of Khosh Zaban Avenue
Tehran, Iran
Email: info@dadiran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
Judiciary spokesperson
Alireza Jamshidi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Email: info@a-jamshidi.ir
Salutation: Dear Sir
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info_leader@leader.ir
via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)
http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Fax: +98 21 3390 4986 (please keep trying)
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Javad Larijani)
Salutation: Dear Mr Larijani
and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.