GENEVA  :  United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, expressed her “grave concern” over the execution of Makwan Moloudzadeh on Wednesday in a prison in Kermanshah Province in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  “It was reported that the execution was carried out, despite his alleged victims withdrawing their accusations” Ms. Arbour observed.

In the statement issued from her office, Ms. Arbour said: “The High Commissioner calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect its international legal obligations and the strong international consensus against the execution of minors”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) place a legal obligation on States Parties not to impose death penalty for those under the age of 18 years at the time of commission of crimes. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a party both to the ICCPR and to the CRC.

Iran is the leading executor of children and juvenile offenders. Mouloudzadeh was sentenced to death in May by a Kermanshah court even though it said all of his accusers had retracted their statements.

Iran says it is prosecuting criminals under its Islamic Sharia law and rejects criticism of its human rights record.

Source: Reuters