Death Penalty

The worldwide campaign to abolish the death penalty has resulted in the UN General Assembly Resolution 10678 on December 18, 2007, calling for a moratorium on the death penalty. In Iran, the number of executions has increased by 362% since 2005 when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became president. In 2005, Iran executed at least 86 people; this number rose to 312 in 2007.

According to Amnesty International, Iran executes more people than any other country in the world except China.

Iran leads the world in executing minors for crimes they committed under the age of 18. Since 2004, Iran accounts for 73% of all juvenile executions worldwide.

The United Nations General Assembly has expressed concern about the “Execution of persons who were under the age of 18 at the time their offence was committed, contrary to the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

According to Iranian human rights defenders, there are at least 107 minors on the death row in Iran. As recently as February 26, 2008, Iran executed Javad Shojaii for a crime he committed when he was 16 years old. At least six other minors face imminent execution: Behnam Zare, Mehyar, Mohammad Reza Haddadi, Iman Hashemi, Saeed Reza Hejazi, and Ahmad Mortazavian. Iranian human rights defenders have provided the names of nine other minors on the death row who are held in Rajaii Shahr Prison, Karaj:

· Benjamin Rasooli

· Behrouz Shojaii

· Morteza Feizi

· Masoud Kafishir

· Saeed Jazi

· Hossein Torranj

· Mehdi Azimi

· Hamed Pourheidari

· Mostafa Naghdi