” (I hope) the same as other countries we no longer witness the execution of children under the age of 18″
Mohammad Mostafaei, Attorney for 14 Iranian children on execution row
In a letter to SCE campaign, Mohammad Mostafaei the attorney who is representing 14 Iranian children facing execution reported that execution of Reza Padashi, who was sentenced to death for an alleged murder in 2004, at the age of 16 , was halted by Ayatollah Shahrudi and his file was sent for a re-trial .
During his first court proceedings, Reza Padashi testified : “Rahman (victim) was sitting with my cousin at the street corner when
he walked towards me and pushed and slapped me in the face and that is how our fight started. I wanted to scare him, therefore I took out a small knife from my pocket and threw it at him. I thought he would move and get out of the way but I don’t know how it landed on his stomach. I did not think anything serious happened and we both walked away until the next day when the police arrested me and I found out he has died.”
During the past few months, the medical officials have diagnosed Reza Padashi to have been suffering from mental disorder and severe depression at the time of the crime. However Reza was sentenced to death despite the physicians determination that Reza was not mentally mature at the time of the incident. After the file was sent to the head of the Iran’s judiciary for final approval of the execution order, he sent the case for re-trail by 5 superior court judges.
In his letter, Reza’s attorney wrote that he hopes that the head of judiciary take the necessary actions so that “the same as other countries we no longer witness the execution of children under the age of 18”.
“Iran joined the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1975 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991 where the child executions has been banned without any pre-conditions, while in our country children under 18 are still being sentenced to death and they are being executed.” Mostafaei added.
To help Reza Padashi and more than 170 other Iranian children facing execution please visit: https://www.stopchildexecutions.com/how-you-can-help.aspx
A WORD OF THANKS TO NILOU FOR INITIAL DRAFT TRANSLATION OF MOHAMMAD MOSTAFAEI’S LETTER