Tag Archives: row

SCE data : April 2008 – At least 103 children facing execution

As of April 6, 2008 Stop Child Executions Campaign has recorded 103 children facing executions worldwide: 96 in Iran, 3 in Saudi Arabia, 3 in Sudan and 1 in Yemen.

9 juveniles are reported to have been executed since January 1, 2007: 8 in Iran and 1 in Saudi Arabia.
Since January 1, 2007 , 5 minors have been saved from execution: 3 in Iran, 1 in Yemen and 1 in Saudi Arabia

List of minors on the execution row:

IRAN (96)

Girls (3):

  • Delara Darabi, 17
  • Nazbibi Ateshbejan, 16
  • Soghra Najafpour, 13

Boys (93):

  • Abbass Hosseini, 17
  • Abdolkhaleq Rakhshani
  • Ahmad, under 18
  • Ahmad, 16
  • Ahmad Jabari, 15
  • Ahmad Mortazavian,15
  • Ahmad Nourzahi, 12
  • Akoo Hosseini
  • Ali, 17
  • Ali Alijan, 17
  • Ali Amiri, 13
  • Ali Mahin Torabi, 16
  • Ali Norumohammadi, 16
  • Ali Shabehzadeh, 17
  • Alireza Movassili Roudi, 16
  • Amir Amrollahi, 16
  • Amir Calehchaleh, 17
  • Asghar, 16
  • Behador Khaleqi, 16
  • Behnam Zare, 15
  • Behnood, 17
  • Behrouz Shojaee, 16
  • Beniamin Rasouli, 17
  • Ebrahim Mehrnahad, 16
  • Farshad Sa’eedi, 17
  • Farzad, 15
  • Fazlorahman Jahraz, 16
  • Feyz Mohammad, 16
  • Feyzollah Soltani
  • Gholam Nabi Barahouti, 16
  • Habib Afsar, 15
  • Hamed, 15
  • Hamed Pour-Heydari, under 18
  • Hamid, 17
  • Hamid Reza, 14
  • Hamzeh S., 17
  • Hani Momeni Yasaqi
  • Hasan Mozaffari
  • Hedayat Niroumand, 14 or 15
  • Hossein Haghi, 17
  • Hossein Toranj, 17
  • Iman Hashemi, 17
  • Javid, 17
  • KhodamoradMon Shahemzadeh, 17
  • Khosrow, 16
  • Mahmoud, 17
  • Masoud, 17
  • Masoud Kafshir, under 18
  • Mehdi, 16
  • Mehdi Azimi, under 18
  • Mehyar Haghgoo, 17
  • Mehyar Anvari, 17
  • Milad Bakhtiari, 16
  • Mohammad Ahmadi 16
  • Mohammad Ghos, 17
  • Mohammad Jahedi
  • Mohammad Jamali Paghale, 15
  • Mohammad Mavari, 16
  • Mohammad Pezhman
  • Mohammadreza Haddadi, 16
  • Morteza Feizi, 16
  • Mosleh Zamani 17
  • Mostafa, 16
  • Mostafa Sa’idi
  • Mostafa Naghdi, under 18
  • Nabavat Baba’I, 17
  • Na’im Kolb’ali, 15
  • Naser Qasemi, 15
  • Ne’mat, 15
  • Nosrat, 15
  • Omarraddin Alkuzehi, 17
  • Omid Sarani, 17
  • Rahim Ahmadi, 16
  • Rahman Shahidi
  • Rasoul Eyvatvandi, 17
  • Rasoul Mohammadi, 17
  • Rasoul Nouriyani
  • Rasoul Safari, 17
  • Reza,16
  • Reza Alinejad, 17
  • Reza Padashi, 16
  • Saber
  • Sadegh Ahmadpour, 17
  • Saeed Jazee, 17
  • Safar Angooti, 17
  • Sa’id Arab
  • Sajjad, 17
  • Salman Akbari, 17
  • Seyed Reza Hejazi, 15
  • Shahram Pourmansouri, 17
  • Siyavash Shirnejad
  • Vahid, 16
  • Zolf’ali Hamzeh,

SAUDI ARABIA (3):

  • Rizana Nafeek (female – 17)
  • Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad (15)
  • Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad (13) Chadian national

SUDAN (3):

  • Abdelrhman Zakaria Mohamed (male – 16)
  • Ahmed Abdullah Suleiman (male – 16)
  • Al-Tayeb Abdel Aziz (male – 16)

YEMEN (1):

  • Hafez Ibrahim (male – 16)

Recorded Child Executions in 2007 and 2008:

IRAN (9)

SAUDI ARABIA (1)

Children saved from Execution since January 1, 2007:

IRAN (3)

  • Nazanin Fatehi
  • Sina Paymard
  • Mohammad Latif

Yemen (1)

  • Hafiz Ibrahim

Saudi Arabia (1)

  • Sultan Kohail

URGENT CALL: More Juveniles facing death senetence in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian authorities intend to execute or to flog seven youth offenders who were forced to confess under torture.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 23/019/2008
3 April 2008
UA 86/08
Death Penalty/Flogging

SAUDI ARABIA
Sultan Bin Khalid Bin Mahmud al-Maskati (m), aged 23
Yusef Bin Hassan Bin Salman al-Muwallad (m), aged 23
Qassim Bin ‘Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Nakhli (m), aged 22
Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad (m), aged 20   
‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad (m), aged 20, Chadian national

Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad (m), aged 19
Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir (m), aged 17, Chadian national

The seven people named above, four of them juvenile offenders, are facing execution or flogging. Their case is now before the Court of Cassation in Mekkah, for a review in which they will have no input, and which will take place in secret. When this is concluded, if their sentences are upheld, they will be passed to the King for ratification, after which those sentenced to death could be executed within days.

They were accused of being members of a gang that carried out a series of robberies and assaults in Madina. They were arrested in 2004 and charged with several counts of theft, robbery and physical assault. They were held incommunicado at police stations in Madina, where they were allegedly beaten in an attempt to make them confess. In February 2008, Madina General Court sentenced five of them to death, the first five listed above, and two to “severe flogging” and imprisonment. Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad and Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir, who were 15 and 13 respectively at the time of the offences, are to receive 1,500 and 1,250 severe lashes respectively, administered in instalments at 10-day intervals in public at the scene of the offences, in addition to terms of imprisonment. (SCE : Due to number of lashes and their severity, the verdicts can also result in their death)

Saudi Arabia is a state party to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which expressly prohibits the use of punishments such as flogging.

Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were both 17 years old. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, including offences with no lethal consequences, and does so following trials which invariably fall short of the most basic international standards. Hearings are often held in secret, and defendants are permitted barely any formal legal representation. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be told when they are to be executed until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded. In 2007 the authorities executed at least 158 people, of whom 76 were foreign nationals. At least 37 people, of whom 13 were foreign nationals, have been executed so far this year.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:


Using your own words, please choose a few of the suggestions below to create a personal appeal and send it as quickly as possible:

– expressing concern that Sultan Bin Khalid Bin Mahmud al-Maskati, Yusef Bin Hassan Bin Salman al-Muwallad, Qassim Bin ‘Ali Bin Ibrahim Al-Nakhli, Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa Bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentenced to death for crimes with no lethal consequences, and that two of them were under 18 at the time of the crimes of which they were convicted;
– expressing concern that Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad have been sentence to flogging, a cruel and inhuman form of punishment, for crimes committed when they were under 18;
– reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, in particular the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, which guarantee adequate opportunity for defence and appeal, and prohibit the imposition of the death penalty when there is room for alternative interpretation of the evidence;
– urging the King to commute the death sentences, especially those of juvenile offenders Sultan Bin Sulayman Bin Muslim al-Muwallad and ‘Issa bin Muhammad ‘Umar Muhammad, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
– calling for the sentences of flogging against Bilal Bin Muslih Bin Jabir al-Muwallad and Ahmad Hamid Muhammad Sabir to be commuted to a humane punishment, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

APPEALS TO:

Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.

His Majesty King Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1403 1185 (may be difficult o reach)
Salutation: Your Majesty

His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road, Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1403 1185 (may be difficult o reach)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness

His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nasseriya Street, Riyadh 11124, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1403 0645
Salutation: Your Royal Highness

COPIES TO:

Mr Turki bin Khaled Al-Sudairy
President, Human Rights Commission
PO Box 58889, Riyadh 11515
King Fahad Road, Building No.373
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1461 2061

His Excellency Abdulaziz H.I. ALSOWAYEGH
Ambassador for Saudi Arabia
201 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1K6
Fax: (613) 237-0567

PLEASE SEND YOUR APPEALS WITHOUT DELAY.

17 year old Canadian saved from execution in Saudi Arabia

Source: AM 940 Montreal

17 year old Sultan Kohail was sentenced to 1 year in a Saudi prison and 200 lashes for his part in the death of a young man following a schoolyard brawl. Sultan’s 22 year old brother – Mohammed has already been sentenced to be beheaded for his role in the fight. Mohammed’s lawyers are appealing his sentence.

Sultan Kohail had been out on bail after spending eight months in custody for his involvement in a school yard brawl in Jeddah that contributed to the accidental death of Mr. Monzer Heraki.

“Today’s ruling by the youth court judge is significantly lesser than the death sentence imposed on Sultan’s brother, Muhammad, and their friend, Muhanna Masoud on March 3, 2008 for the same incident”, said Mr. Mahmoud Al-Ken.

“It is important to recognize that this decision was primaily the result of the judge permitting a vigorous cross-examination of the prosecutors’ witnesses”, added Mr. Al-Ken.

“This is one of the reasons why Mohammed Kohail is appealing his death sentence. It is hoped that the judges hearing the appeal will see that Mohammed and Muhanna did not receive this vital component of due process and order the initial trial court to re-open the case. The court must hear testimony from both sides and permit full cross-examination”, concluded Mr. Al-Ken.

To read more about Sultan visit the following articles and urgent calls :
http://scenews.blog.com/2949314/
http://scenews.blog.com/1828693/
http://scenews.blog.com/1820801/

URGENT CALL: Saudi boy facing execution

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 23/016/2008
UPDATE
31 March 2008

Further information on UA 116/07 (MDE 23/019/2007, 17 May 2007) and follow-up (MDE 23/030/2007, 2 August 2007) – Death Penalty / Fear of imminent execution

SAUDI ARABIA

Mohamed Kohail (m), aged 23, Canadian national
Sultan Kohail (m), aged 17, Canadian national

New name:      Mehanna Sa’d (m), aged 22, Jordanian national

A Jordanian national, Mehanna Sa’d, is now known to have been sentenced to death together with Canadian national Mohamed Kohail. Both men have appealed; if their appeals are rejected they will be in imminent danger of execution. Mohamed Kohail’s 17-year-old brother, Sultan, is also at risk of being sentenced to death.

Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d were charged with the murder of a Syrian boy, who died in a schoolyard brawl in January 2007. They were sentenced to death in March 2008 after proceedings which reportedly fell short of international fair trial standards. They were first held incommunicado for approximately a month and a half, and beaten in an attempt to make them confess. Their trial before the Jeddah General Court took place over nine sessions. Their lawyer was allowed to attend only the last one or two, and was not allowed to challenge the evidence brought against his clients.

Sultan Kohail, who was arrested with his brother Mohamed and Mehanna Sa’d, was released on bail and is said to be facing trial before Jeddah Summary Court. This court does not have the power to impose the death penalty. However, Sultan is due to face murder charges, and could be referred to the General Court, where he could be sentenced to death, even though he is 17 years old. Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and so has undertaken not to execute anyone for crimes committed when they were under 18.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION


Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences, including offences with no lethal consequences, and does so following trials which invariably fall short of the most basic international standards. Hearings are often held in secret, and defendants are permitted barely any formal legal representation. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception. In many cases defendants and their families are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. Prisoners under sentence of death may not be informed of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded.

The number of executions in 2008 is increasing fast. In 2007 the authorities executed at least 158 people, of whom 76 were foreign nationals. At least 37 people, of whom 13 were foreign nationals, have been executed since 8 January 2008.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Arabic, English or your own language:

– calling on the authorities to ensure that in their appeal Mohamed Kohail and Mehanna Sa’d are able to address the irregularities of their trial and death sentence in fair and transparent hearings;
– reminding the authorities that they are bound by international standards for fair trial in capital cases, in particular the UN Safeguards Guaranteeing the Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty, which guarantee adequate opportunity for defence and appeal, and prohibits the imposition of the death penalty when there is room for alternative interpretation of the evidence;
– urging the King to commute the death sentences if they are upheld on appeal;
– expressing concern that 17-year-old Sultan Kohail may still be at risk of being sentenced to death and asking the authorities to guarantee that this will not happen, as Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

APPEALS TO:

Please note that you may experience difficulties sending faxes on Thursdays and Fridays, which are the weekend in Saudi Arabia.

His Majesty King Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax:     (via Ministry of the Interior) 011 966 1 403 1185 (may be difficult to reach)
Salutation:       Your Majesty

His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
P.O. Box 2933
Airport Road, Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax:                 011 966 1 403 1185 (may be difficult to reach)
Salutation:       Your Royal Highness

His Royal Highness Prince Saud al-Faisal bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nasseriya Street
Riyadh 11124
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax:                 011 966 1 403 0645
Salutation:       Your Royal Highness

COPIES TO:

His Excellency Abdulaziz H.I. ALSOWAYEGH
Ambassador for  Saudi Arabia
201 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1K6
Fax: (613) 237-0567

16 year old to be executed in Sudan

An Appeals Court has confirmed sentences of death on ten individuals in Sudan. At least one of them: Al-Tayeb Abdel Aziz (m),  was a 15 year old the time of the alleged crime. Following is an urgent call by Amnesty International.

URGENT ACTION
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC
AI Index: AFR 54/003/2008
UPDATE
19 March 2008

Further Information on UA 302/07 (AFR 54/064/2007, 12 November 2007) Death Penalty

SUDAN

Al-Tayeb Abdel Aziz (m), aged 16
Ishaq Mohammed Sanousi (m), aged 71
Abdel Hay Omar (m)
Mustafa Adam (m)
Mohammed Birgid (m)
Hassan Adam Fadel (m)
Adam Ibrahim (m)
Jamaleddin Isa (m)
Abdel Magid Ali Abdel Magid (m)
Sabir Hassan (m)

On 13 March the Khartoum-North Court of Appeals confirmed the death sentences on 10 people. They were sentenced to death in November for the murder of Mohammed Taha, Editor of al-Wifaq newspaper, in September 2006.

One of those facing execution, Al-Tayeb Abdel Aziz, was 15 years old at the time of the murder. Another of the group, Ishaq Mohammed Sanousi, is thought to be 71 years old. All those sentenced to death said that they had been tortured to confess to the murder and been forced to sign confessions, which were later produced in court. All 10 people retracted their confessions in court, but the Appeal Court accepted the confessions as evidence against them.

The 10 have now appealed to the Supreme Court, where a panel of three judges will hear the appeal. A further appeal is possible to the Constitutional Court, whose final decision has to be ratified by the President.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Mohammed Taha was an outspoken newspaper editor who had also angered Islamists after writing an article discussing the ancestry of the Prophet Mohammed, after which he was arrested by the security services. He was also said to have written articles attacking Darfuris.

During their investigation into the murder of Mohammed Taha, police focussed on Darfuris and rounded up 72 people, including women and children. Nearly all those detained said that they were tortured to give information or confessions. Most were released but 19 were brought to trial. During the trial, the judge released eight because they had confessed under duress but failed to release others who also said that they were tortured.

Amnesty International is concerned that the use of torture to extract confessions is built into the Sudanese system of justice by Article 10(i) of the Law of Evidence of 1993, which states that “… evidence is not dismissed solely because it has been obtained through an improper procedure, if the court is satisfied that it is independent and admissible”.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty unconditionally in all situations as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment.  The use of the death penalty against child offenders is prohibited under international law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), both have provisions exempting children under 18 from execution. Sudan has a responsibility to adhere to these international laws.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send fresh appeals at this stage, to

– emphasize that the authorities have a right and duty to try those who are reasonably suspected of having committed crimes but defendants must be given fair trials;
– express concern at Article 10(i) of the Law of Evidence of 1993 which states that “… evidence is not dismissed solely because it has been obtained through an improper procedure, if the court is satisfied that it is independent and admissible”, and stress that such a rule is incompatible with international standards which outlaw torture;
– state your opposition to the death penalty which is the ultimate cruel inhuman and degrading punishment and is a violation of the right to life;
– call on the authorities to abide by their obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 37 of which states that “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age”;
– call for the death sentences against the 10 to be overturned;
– call for allegations of torture to be investigated, and any security official who is found to have used torture to be brought to justice.

APPEALS TO:

Abdel Baset Saleh Sabderat
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
PO Box 302
Khartoum, Sudan
Fax:                 011 249 183 770883
Salutation:       Dear Minister

Ibrahim Mohamed Hamed
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
PO Box 2793
Khartoum, Sudan
Fax:                 011 249 183 776554 (Please mark it “FAO Minister of Internal Affairs”)
Salutation:       Dear Minister

COPIES TO:

Her Excellency Dr. Faiza Hassan TAHA ARMOUSA
Ambassador for the Republic of Sudan
354 Stewart Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6K8
Fax:                 (613) 235-6880
E-mail:            sudanembassy-canada@rogers.com<>>

Dr Priscilla Joseph
Chair of the Human Rights Committee
National Assembly
Omdurman, Sudan
Fax:                 011 249 187 560 950
Salutation:       Dear Dr Joseph

Your prompt response is valuable and appreciated.

Revision

We recently reported the imminent execution of Farzad Alizadeh Mohajer (aka Abbas) in Iran. We are now informed by Amnesty International that based on their communication with Farzad’s family, he had already turned 18 at the time of the alleged crime. Therefore Farzad’s name is being removed from the the list of the those who are sentenced to death for an alleged crime before the age of 18.

Those interested in helping Farzad you may visit the report by Amnesty International.

URGENT CALL by Amnesty: 4 juveniles to be executed

PUBLIC                        AI Index: MDE 13/049/2008                 
13 March 2008

UA 71/08        Fear of execution        
       
IRAN        Naser Qasemi (m), aged 23                ]
                Mohammad Reza Haddadi (m), aged 18                ]
             Reza Hejazi (m), aged 19                ] child offenders
                Iman Hashemi (m), aged 18                ]

Naser Qasemi, Mohammad Reza Haddadi and Reza Hejazi are all in prison awaiting execution for murder. The death sentence of Iman Hashem is expected to be approved imminently. All are all in prison awaiting execution for murder. They were all aged under 18 at the time of their alleged crimes and their death sentences have been approved. They could all be hanged at any time. The Head of the Judiciary has the power to issue a stay of execution at this stage.

Naser Qasemi, from Kermanshah province in western Iran, was 15 years old in 1999 when he and an uncle, who was armed, tried to steal some maize from a farm near his home. They were discovered by farm workers, and in the fight that ensued, one of the farm workers was shot and killed. The uncle initially escaped but Naser was arrested and charged with murder. He has been detained for eight years, during which he has faced a number of trials and retrials, as a result of which he was sentenced to death on three occasions. The victim’s family have demanded 1,500 million Rials (approximately US $164,000) as diyeh (“blood money”),  but Naser Qasemi’s family have been unable to raise this amount. The Society for the Right to Life (Anjoman-e Haq-e Hayat), an Iranian human rights group has been campaigning on his behalf. It is not clear where he is being held.

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. The case is awaiting final approval by Ayatollah Shahroudi, the Head of Iran’s Judiciary.

Juvenile offenders Reza Hejazi and Iman Hashemi are imprisoned in the Central Prison in the city of Esfahan, in central Iran.

Reza Hejazi – then aged 15 – was among a small group of people involved in a dispute with a man on 18 September 2004, which resulted in the man being fatally stabbed. Reza Hejazi was arrested and tried for murder, and on 14 November 2005 he was sentenced to Qesas (retribution) by Branch 106 of the Esfahan General Court. The sentence was approved by Branch 28 of the Supreme Court on 6 June 2006, although under Iranian law he should have been tried in a juvenile court. The case was referred for mediation between Reza Hejazi and the victim’s family, to try and arrange for the payment of diyeh, but no sum has yet been agreed. If no agreement is reached, Reza Hejazi will be executed.  

Iman Hashemi was 17 in June 2007 when his brother Majid was arrested for fatal stabbing of a man in a fight. Following his brother’s arrest, Iman Hashemi was said to have presented himself to the investigating authorities and confessed to having murdered the man, though he later implied in court that he had been coerced into confessing. Despite his family’s insistence that he was innocent, a court in Esfahan sentenced him to Qesas for murder on 13 January 2007. On 26 May 2007, Branch 42 of the Supreme Court upheld the verdict. Distraught, on 29 September 2007 his brother Majid set himself on fire. Four months later he died of his injuries. The verdict has not been approved by the Head of the Judiciary.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Iran is one of only six countries in the world in which child offenders may face execution. This is despite Iran’s obligations under international law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to prohibit the execution of juvenile offenders. In the last four years Iran has executed more child offenders than in all those other countries combined. At least 79 child offenders are now on death row in Iran. This number could be considerably higher since not all sentences may have been made public. For more information about executions of child offenders in Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (MDE 13/059/2007, June 2007), http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007 Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, and supports the global trend away from the use of the death penalty, powerfully expressed in the UN General Assembly’s resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions on 18 December 2007.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, French, Arabic, Persian or your own language:
– calling for an immediate halt to the executions of Naser Qasimi, Mohammad Reza Haddadi, Reza Hejazi and Iman Hashemi, all convicted of crimes allegedly committed when they were under the age of 18;
– calling on the authorities to declare a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty as called for by the UN General Assembly in December 2007, and to commute the death sentences passed on Naser Qasimi, Mohammad Reza Haddadi, Reza Hejazi and Iman Hashemi;
– reminding the authorities that Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibit the use of the death penalty against people convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

APPEALS TO:


Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei

The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 info@leader.ir
Salutation:         Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation:         Your Excellency

COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir OR via website: www.president.ir/email

and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 24 April 2008.

Working to protect human rights worldwide

Amnesty's urgent call to save Behnam Zare

PUBLIC                AI Index: MDE 13/009/2008             06 March 2008

Further Information on UA 230/07 (MDE 13/109/2007, 31 August 2007) and follow-up (MDE 13/032/2008, 05 February 2008) – Imminent execution/child offender

IRAN        Behnam Zare` (m), child offender

On or around 11 February 2008 the Head of the Judiciary ordered a second attempt to negotiate payment of diyeh (“blood money”) with the family of the man that Behnam Zare` was convicted of killing, according to a report carried by the BBC Persian news service.

The order for the implementation of his sentence had been approved by the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Shahroudi, on 5 February, and Behnam Zare` was awaiting execution. The order to reopen negotiations, therefore, may have been given, at least in part, in response to campaigning by Amnesty International’s UA network and others. Negotiations over the payment of diyeh are managed by the Council for the Resolution of Differences, a body under the authority of the judiciary which is intended to solve a variety of legal disputes without recourse to the court system. There is no time limit for its decision. Behnam Zare’ remains at risk of execution.

Behnam Zare’ was convicted of a murder which reportedly took place on 21 April 2005, when he was 15 years old. He was found to have swung a knife during an argument with a man named Mehrdad, wounding him in the neck. Mehrdad later died in hospital. Behnam Zare`was detained on 13 November 2005; Branch 5 of Fars Criminal Court sentenced him to qesas (retribution) for premeditated murder. Under Article 206 (b) of Iran’s Criminal Code, murder is classed as premeditated “in cases where the murderer intentionally makes an action which is inherently lethal, even if [the murderer] does not intend to kill the person.” The case went to appeal before Branch 33 of the Supreme Court where the sentence was upheld, and it was then passed to the Office for Implementation of Sentences.

Iran is one of only six countries in the world in which child offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18 – have been executed in the past four years. This is despite Iran’s obligations under international treaties to which it is a state party which prohibit the execution of child offenders. In the last four years Iran has executed more child offenders than in all those other countries combined.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
– expressing concern that Behnam Zare` is still at risk of execution for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– calling on the authorities to abide by the moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty called for by the UN General Assembly in December 2007, and to commute the death sentence passed on Behnam Zare`;
– reminding the authorities that Iran is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which prohibit the use of the death penalty against people convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18.

APPEALS TO:

Leader of the Islamic Republic
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei

The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street – Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 info@leader.ir
Salutation:         Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice Building, Panzdah-Khordad Square,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation:         Your Excellency

COPIES TO:

President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email:                 dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
via website: www.president.ir/email

and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 17 April 2008.

Working to protect human rights worldwide

SCE data : March 2008

As of March 3, 2008 Stop Child Executions Campaign has recorded 100 children facing executions worldwide: 95 in Iran, 2 in Saudi Arabia, 2 in Sudan and 1 in Yemen.

9 juveniles are reported to have been executed since January 1, 2007: 8 in Iran and 1 in Saudi Arabia.
Since January 1, 2007 , 4 minors have been saved from execution: 3 in Iran, 1 in Yemen.

List of minors on the execution row:

(Number after name is their age when crime was committed)

IRAN (95)

Girls (3):

  • Delara Darabi, 17
  • Nazbibi Ateshbejan, 16
  • Soghra Najafpour, 13

Boys (92):

  • Abbass Hosseini, 17
  • Abdolkhaleq Rakhshani
  • Ahmad, under 18
  • Ahmad, 16
  • Ahmad Jabari, 15
  • Ahmad Mortazavian,15
  • Ahmad Nourzahi, 12
  • Akoo Hosseini
  • Ali, 17
  • Ali Alijan, 17
  • Ali Amiri, 13
  • Ali Mahin Torabi, 16
  • Ali Norumohammadi, 16
  • Ali Shabehzadeh, 17
  • Alireza Movassili Roudi, 16
  • Amir Amrollahi, 16
  • Amir Calehchaleh, 17
  • Asghar, 16
  • Behador Khaleqi, 16
  • Behnam Zare, 15
  • Behnood, 17
  • Behrouz Shojaee, 16
  • Beniamin Rasouli, 17
  • Farshad Sa’eedi, 17
  • Farzad, 15
  • Feyz Mohammad, 16
  • Feyzollah Soltani
  • Gholam Nabi Barahouti, 16
  • Habib Afsar, 15
  • Hamed, 15
  • Hamed Pour-Heydari, under 18
  • Hamid, 17
  • Hamid Reza, 14
  • Hamzeh S., 17
  • Hani Momeni Yasaqi
  • Hasan Mozaffari
  • Hedayat Niroumand, 14 or 15
  • Hossein Haghi, 17
  • Hossein Toranj, 17
  • Iman, 17
  • Iman Hashemi, 16
  • Javid, 17
  • Khodamorad Shahemzadeh, 17
  • Khosrow, 16
  • Mahmoud, 17
  • Masoud, 17
  • Masoud Kafshir, under 18
  • Mehdi, 16
  • Mehdi Azimi, under 18
  • Mehyar Haghgoo, 17
  • Mehyar Anvari, 17
  • Milad Bakhtiari, 16
  • Mohammad Ahmadi 16
  • Mohammad Ghos, 17
  • Mohammad Jahedi
  • Mohammad Jamali Paghale, 15
  • Mohammad Mavari, 16
  • Mohammad Pezhman
  • Mohammadreza Haddadi, 16
  • Morteza Feizi, 16
  • Mosleh Zamani 17
  • Mostafa, 16
  • Mostafa Sa’idi
  • Mostafa Naghdi, under 18
  • Nabavat Baba’I, 17
  • Na’im Kolb’ali, 15
  • Naser Qasemi, 15
  • Ne’mat, 15
  • Nosrat, 15
  • Omarraddin Alkuzehi, 17
  • Omid Sarani, 17
  • Rahim Ahmadi, 16
  • Rahman Shahidi
  • Rasoul Eyvatvandi, 17
  • Rasoul Mohammadi, 17
  • Rasoul Nouriyani
  • Rasoul Safari, 17
  • Reza,16
  • Reza Alinejad, 17
  • Reza Padashi, 16
  • Saber
  • Sadegh Ahmadpour, 17
  • Saeed Jazee, 17
  • Safar Angooti, 17
  • Sa’id Arab
  • Sajjad, 17
  • Salman Akbari, 17
  • Seyedreza Hejazi, 15
  • Shahram Pourmansouri, 17
  • Siyavash Shirnejad
  • Vahid, 16
  • Zolf’ali Hamzeh,

SAUDI ARABIA (2):

  • Rizana Nafeek (female – 17)
  • Sultan Kohail (male – 16)

SUDAN (2):

  • Abdelrhman Zakaria Mohamed (male – 16)
  • Ahmed Abdullah Suleiman (male – 16)

YEMEN (1):

  • Hafez Ibrahim (male – 16)

Recorded Child Executions in 2007 and 2008:

IRAN (9)

SAUDI ARABIA (1)

Children saved from Execution since January 1, 2007:

IRAN (3)

  • Nazanin Fatehi
  • Sina Paymard
  • Mohammad Latif

Yemen (1)
 

  • Hafiz Ibrahim