[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Rick Halperin
rhalperi at mail.smu.edu
Sat Nov 24 12:15:36 CST 2007
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
23 November 2007
UA 316/07 Fear of imminent execution
IRAN Ali (surname unknown), aged 17, Afghan national
Amnesty International is concerned that the death sentence
against a 17-year-old Afghan boy known only as Ali, imposed
for a murder he allegedly committed when he was only 15
years old, has reportedly been upheld and could be carried
out at any time.
According to a 19 November report by the Iranian Students
News Agency (ISNA), on 18 December 2005, Ali reportedly led
an eight-year-old boy called Jan Ahmad (also known as Ahmad)
onto the site of a partially built building in Shahriar, a
city south-west of the capital, Tehran, where Ali allegedly
sexually assaulted him before killing him.
Ali was sentenced to death for the murder on 23 July 2007 by
Branch 74 of the Tehran Province's Criminal Courts.
According to the ISNA report, the sentence was upheld by
Branch 39 of the Supreme Court on or around 19 November and
the case was due to be sent to the Office for Implementation
of Sentences.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
International law strictly prohibits the use of the death
penalty against people convicted of crimes committed when
they were under the age of 18. Under Iranian law, children
are those who have not yet attained puberty, usually defined
as boys under 14 years and seven months (15 lunar years),
girls under eight years and seven months (nine lunar years).
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed deep
concern at these ages of majority because it implies that
children in Iran above these ages are not covered by the
provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child (CRC).
As a state party to the CRC and the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Iran has undertaken
not to execute child offenders. However, since 1990, Iran
has reportedly executed at least 27 child offenders, five of
them in 2007. Most recently, Mohammad Reza Turk was executed
on 15 November 2007 after being convicted of murder. At
least 76 child offenders are on death row in Iran. There are
fears that at least 15 Afghan child offenders convicted of
drug smuggling may have been, or face being, sentenced to
death. Meanwhile, on 19 November 2007, a lower court in
Tehran sentenced to death Khosro, a 16-year--old boy, in
connection with the killing of his roommate.
For more information about Amnesty International's concerns
regarding executions of child offenders in Iran, please see:
Iran: The last executioner of children, published in June
2007: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007
On 15 November, a UN resolution calling for a moratorium on
executions was adopted by the Third Committee of the UN
General Assembly at its 62nd session. The Resolution was
adopted by a vote of 99 countries in favor and 52 against,
with 33 abstentions. The General Assembly, sitting in
plenary, is expected to endorse the resolution in December.
The adoption of this resolution is an important milestone
towards worldwide abolition of the death penalty. Ten
countries from across the world co-authored the resolution
although Iran opposed it.
The resolution calls upon all states that still maintain the
death penalty ''to establish a moratorium on executions with
a view to abolishing the death penalty''. It urges these
states ''to respect international standards that provide
safeguards guaranteeing the protection of the rights of
those facing the death penalty'' and ''progressively
restrict the use of the death penalty and reduce the number
of offences for which it may be imposed''. The UN Secretary-
General will report to the General Assembly in 2008 on how
the resolution is being implemented.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly
as possible:
- expressing concern that Ali, an Afghan national aged 17,
is at risk of imminent execution for a crime allegedly
committed when he was under 18;
- calling on the Iranian authorities to immediately halt the
execution of Ali, and calling for his death sentence to be
commuted;
- urging the authorities to impose a moratorium on the
implementation of the death penalty, in line with the 15
November resolution passed by the UN General Assembly's
Third Committee;
- 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, and that the
execution of Ali would therefore be a violation of
international law;
- urging the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the
death penalty for offences, including murder, committed by
anyone under the age of 18, so as to bring Iran's domestic
law into line with its obligations under international law;
- stating that Amnesty International acknowledges the right
and responsibility of governments to bring to justice those
suspected of criminal offences, but unconditionally opposes
the death penalty.
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 at 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 at dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line
write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
COPIES TO:
Speaker of Parliament
His Excellency Gholamali Haddad Adel
Majles-e Shoura-ye Eslami
Baharestan Square, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: hadadadel at majlis.ir
Salutation: Your Excellency
Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran
His Excellency Mohammad Javad Larijani
C/o Office of the Deputy for International Affairs
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice Building,
Panzdah-Khordad (Ark) Square,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)
Iran does not presently have an embassy in this country.
Instead, please send copies to:
Iranian Interests Section
2209 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington DC 20007
Phone: 202 965 4990
Fax: 1 202 965 1073
Email:requests at daftar.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the AIUSA Urgent
Action office if sending appeals after 3 January 2008.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement
that promotes and defends human rights.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE 5th fl
Washington DC 20003
Email: uan at aiusa.org
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 202.544.0200
Fax: 202.675.8566
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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