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URGENT ACTION |
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HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER RISKS TORTURE |
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Human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei was arrested on 25 June, probably in relation to his human rights activities and his peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association after the disputed re-election of President Ahmadinejad. Mohammad Mostafaei is a prisoner of conscience. He is at risk of torture.
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Mohammad Mostafaei was arrested in Tehran on 25 June by plainclothes officials, while he was away from his home with his wife and daughter. The officials searched the family home and Mohammad Mostafaei’s office, and then took him away. His whereabouts remain unknown since his arrest. Mohammad Mostafaei is a human rights lawyer who is best known for his campaigning against the execution in Iran of people convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of 18. He is representing at least 25 juveniles sentenced to death for such crimes. |
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PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Persian, Arabic, English, French or your own language: n calling on the authorities to release Mohammad Mostafaei immediately and unconditionally, if he has been arrested solely for his human rights activities and the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and association, and is therefore a prisoner of conscience; n urging them to allow him immediate access to his family, a lawyer of his choice and any medical treatment he may require, and ensure that he is protected from all forms of torture or other ill-treatment; n calling on the authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations by those who wish to express their opinions on the elections to take place.
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PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 10 August 2009 TO: |
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Title Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran Email: info_leader@leader.ir via website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English) http://www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian) Salutation: Your Excellency
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Title 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: shahroudi@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi) Salutation: Your Excellency
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Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date. |
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Tag Archives: Amnesty International
Saudi’s to execute 4 Iraqi juveniles
Four Iraqi youths could be executed at any moment. None have enjoyed legal aid or a fair trial.
PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 23/019/2009
UA 157/09
Death Penalty / Alleged juvenile offenders
18 June 2009
SAUDI ARABIA
Raid Halassa Sakit (m), aged about 20, Iraqi national
Abbas Fadil Abbas (m), aged 20, Iraqi national
Othman Ali (m), aged 20, Iraqi national
Aqil Matsher (m), aged 22, Iraqi national
The four Iraqi nationals named above are at risk of imminent execution for alleged offences reported to have been committed while they were below the age of 18. They were convicted and sentenced to death after unfair trials. All four were not given legal assistance or representation and they were sentenced after secret and summary trials. They all claim that they are innocent. They are held in Rafha prison, near the border with Iraq.
According to information received by Amnesty International, Raid Halassa Sakit was arrested and detained by the General Intelligence in the town of Rafha in 2005. He was charged and tried for drug-related offences and for links with armed groups in Iraq. He had been around 16 years old at the time of these alleged crimes. He was allegedly tortured by being subjected to electric shocks and then beaten until he signed a “confession” which, because he is illiterate, he could not read.
Raid Halassa Sakit was tried in secret without legal assistance by the Criminal Court in Rafha and was initially sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. According to a report received by Amnesty International, when the judge announced the sentence Raid Halassa Sakit insisted on his innocence, to which the judge apparently replied, “You had signed”, referring to the fact that he had signed a “confession”. When Raid Halassa Sakit told the judge that he had signed because of the torture the judge told him, “Such talk is of no benefit to you now”. When he was brought back to the same court two months later he was told that the Court of Cassation in Riyadh had increased the sentence to 20 years’ imprisonment. A month later Raid Halassa Sakit was again brought back to the Criminal Court in Rafha and informed that he was sentenced to death.
Because of the secrecy of the criminal justice system in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International has been unable to obtain extensive details about the cases of the other three men. However, the organization has received reports that they were all aged between 15 and 18 at the time of their alleged crimes. Othman Ali and Aqil Matsher were arrested in 2004 and would have been around 15 years and 17 years old respectively at the time. Abbas Fadil Abbas is also reported to have been under 18 at the time of his arrest.
Prisoners in Saudi Arabia may be put to death without a scheduled date for execution being made known to them or their families. The four alleged juvenile offenders could be executed at any time.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Saudi Arabia is a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which expressly prohibits the execution of juvenile offenders – those convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. However, Saudi Arabia continues to execute alleged juvenile offenders in breach of their obligations under international law (see press release issued on 11 May 2009, Saudi Arabia: Two juveniles executed by Saudi Arabian authorities among a group of five at http://www.amnesty.org/en/
At least 158 people, including 76 foreign nationals, were executed by the Saudi Arabian authorities in 2007, and at least 102 people, including almost 40 foreign nationals, were executed in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009, a further 42 people are known to have been executed.
Saudi Arabia applies the death penalty for a wide range of offences. Court proceedings fall far short of international standards for fair trial. Defendants are rarely allowed formal representation by a lawyer, and in many cases are not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them. They may be convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress or deception.
In a recent report on the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International highlighted the extensive use of the death penalty as well as the disproportionately high number of executions of foreign nationals from developing countries. For further information please see Saudi Arabia: Affront to Justice: Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia (Index: MDE 23/027/2008), published on 14 October 2008: http://www.amnesty.org/en/
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Write a personally-worded appeal in Arabic, English or your own language
– urging the authorities to halt the execution of Raid Halassa Sakit, Abbas Fadil Abbas, Othman Ali and Aqil Matsher, all of whom may have been under 18 at the time of their alleged crimes;
– calling on the authorities to commute the death sentences of Raid Halassa Sakit, Abbas Fadil Abbas, Othman Ali and Aqil Matsher, particularly given Saudi Arabia’s obligations as a state party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
– reminding the authorities that they should act in accordance with international law, particularly Article 37 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, and end the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders.
APPEALS TO:
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 (can be hard to reach)
Salutation: Your Majesty
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
Second Deputy Prime Minister and 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 (can be hard to reach)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
COPIES TO:
Mr Abdullah Saleh A. Al Awwad
Chargé d’Affaires, Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
201 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1K6
Fax: (613) 237-0567
Mr Bandar Mohammed Abdullah Al Aiban
President, Human Rights Commission
P.O. Box 58889, King Fahad Road, Building No. 373
Riyadh 11515, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: 011 966 1 461 2061
Email: hrc@haq-ksa.org
13 year old girl stoned to death in Somalia
Source: Amnesty International
contrary to earlier news reports. She had been accused of adultery in
breach of Islamic law.
Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was killed on Monday 27 October, by a group of 50
men in a stadium in the southern port of Kismayu, in front of around
1,000 spectators. Somali journalists who had reported she was 23 have
told Amnesty International that they judged her age by her physical
appearance.
Inside the stadium, militia members opened fire when some of the
witnesses to the killing attempted to save her life, and shot dead a boy
who was a bystander. An al-Shabab spokeperson was later reported to have
apologized for the death of the child, and said the militia member would
be punished.
At one point during the stoning, Amnesty International has been told by
numerous eyewitnesses that nurses were instructed to check whether Aisha
Ibrahim Duhulow was still alive when buried in the ground. They removed
her from the ground, declared that she was, and she was replaced in the
hole where she had been buried for the stoning to continue.
Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was accused of adultery, but sources told Amnesty
International that she had in fact been raped by three men, and had
attempted to report this rape to the al-Shabab militia who control
Kismayo. It was this act that resulted in her being accused of adultery
and detained. None of men she accused of rape were arrested.
She was detained by militia of the Kismayo authorities, a coalition of
Al-shabab and clan militias. During this time, she was reportedly
extremely distressed, with some individuals stating she had become
mentally unstable.
Source
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/child-of+-13-stoned-to-death-in-somalia-20081031
Related article: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gDlw7zYhGCUujV64GSv-BEJdMkFg
Amnesty: Iran “mislead public” with “word games”
In a statement by Amnesty international titled “Juveniles still to face the noose: authorities’ word games exposed” stated:
“Amnesty International deplores the re-affirmation by a senior Iranian judicial official that Iran will continue to judicially execute juvenile offenders, clarifying a misleading statement he made on 16 October.
The organization is concerned that the 16 October statement, which stated that Iran would no longer execute anyone below the age of 18, irrespective of the crime allegedly committed, played with words and was intended to mislead Iranian and international public opinion.”
For the full text of the statement visit: http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/18442/
Amnesty International URGENT CALL – Amir Amrollahi
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/114/2008
15 August 2008
Further Information on UA 15/08 (MDE 13/009/2008, 18 January 2008) Death Penalty/imminent execution/unfair trial
IRAN Amir Amrollahi (m), aged 17 or 18
Juvenile offender Amir Amrollahi’s death sentence received final approval from the Head of the Judiciary earlier this month, and judicial officials in Shiraz province have been asked to prepare to carry out his execution. He was sentenced to death for a murder committed when he was 16 years old.
The murder took place in November 2006 during a fight with another boy, who was fatally stabbed. According to his lawyer, who took up his case this year, Amir Amrollahi ran off in a panic after stabbing the boy, who he thought was about to attack him. Medical help did not arrive for half an hour, by which time it was too late. Amir Amrollahi told his father what had happened, the same day, and later presented himself to the police.
His family could not afford adequate legal representation at his trial. According to his new lawyer, the court did not hear that the killing had been unintentional, or that he was prescribed heavy doses of sedatives while in prison awaiting trial. His mental state at the time of the trial was not properly considered.
On 6 August 2007, Branch 5 of Fars province criminal court sentenced him to death, although one of the court advisors had expressed concern about his age and his ability to understand and recognise what was going on. The sentence was upheld by Branch 27 of Supreme Court on 11 October.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited by international law. Since 1990 Iran has executed at least 35 juvenile offenders, eight of them in 2007 and four in 2008.
The family of a murder victim have the right either to insist on execution, or to pardon the killer and receive financial compensation. A convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state, in violation of Article 6(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
– calling on the authorities to halt the execution of Amir Amrollahi immediately;
– expressing concern that he was sentenced to death for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence;
– 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;
– urging the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty for offences committed by people under the age of 18, so bringing Iran’s domestic law in line with its obligations under international law.
APPEALS TO:
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 subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
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
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 6 649 5880
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
(via website) http://www.president.ir/email/
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: +98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)
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 26 September 2008.
Amnesty International UPDATE re: Behnood
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE 13/117/2008 15 August 2008
Further Information on UA 114/08 (MDE 13/065/2008, 29 April 2008) and follow-ups (MDE 13/066/2008, 8 May 2008; MDE 13/081/2008, 12 June 2008; MDE 13/101/2008, 25 July 2008) – Imminent execution
IRAN Behnoud Shojaee (m), aged 20, juvenile offender
Behnoud Shojaee is again in imminent danger of execution: his family was unable to afford the diyeh, or financial compensation, required to obtain a pardon. His execution, which was due to take place on or around 12 August has been postponed until the end of August 2008.
Behnoud Shojaee was sentenced to qesas (retribution) by Branch 74 of the Criminal Court in Tehran on 2 October 2006, after he was found guilty of killing a boy named Omid the previous year, when he was 17. Behnoud Shojaee had no legal representation at his trial.
He was twice granted a stay of execution by the head of the judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, to allow time for further negotiations over diyeh between his and Omid’s families. However, although the Omid’s family agreed to reduce the diyeh they demanded, from US$2,085,000 to US$625,000, this is still more than Behnoud Shojaee’s family can afford.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 1990 Iran has executed at least 35 juvenile offenders, eight of them in 2007 and four in 2008.
The family of a murder victim have the right either to insist on execution, or to pardon the killer and receive financial compensation. A convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state, in violation of Article 6(4) of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law, as stated in Article 6 (5) of the ICCPR and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), of which Iran is a state party to and so has undertaken not to execute anyone for crimes committed when they were under 18.
On 8 July 2008, during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Amnesty International published a joint statement with over 20 other international and regional human rights organizations calling on Iranian authorities to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes committed by juvenile offenders, and to uphold their international obligation to enforce the absolute prohibition on the death penalty in such cases. See Iran: Spare four youths from execution, immediately enforce international prohibition on death penalty for juvenile offenders, available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-spare-four-youths-execution-immediately-enforce-international-prohi
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
– expressing concern that Behnoud Shojaee is at risk of execution for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence;
– reminding them that Iran is a state party to both 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 those under the age of 18 at the time of offence, and that to execute Behnoud Shojaee would therefore be a violation of international law;
– urging the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty for offences committed by people under the age of 18, so bringing Iran’s domestic law in line with its obligations under international law.
APPEALS TO:
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 subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Salutation: Your Excellency
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
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +98 21 6 649 5880
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
(via website) http://www.president.ir/email/
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: + 98 21 5 537 8827 (please keep trying)
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 26 September 2008.
Amnesty International URGENT CALL: Kamal 17 facing execution
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE 13/115/2008
14 August 2008
UA 228/08
Death Penalty
IRAN
Kamal (m), aged 17, barber’s assistant
Seventeen-year-old barber’s assistant Kamal was sentenced to death for murder on 12 April. His death sentence was approved by the Supreme Court at the beginning of August, and his file has since been sent to the Head of the Judiciary for final approval. He is in imminent danger of execution.
According to local press, in the evening of 10 April 2007 Kamal was standing in front of the barber’s shop where he worked with two friends, including the barber’s son, Mehdi. They noticed a man named Shahin verbally harassing a young girl. A fight broke out between Mehdi and Shahin. When Mehdi’s father arrived Shahin pushed him, and Mehdi asked Kamal to get a knife from the shop, which he did. Shahin then attacked Kamal and they both fell to the floor: Shahin was stabbed in the back. The blade hit his heart, and he died in hospital.
Under Article 206 (b) of Iran’s Criminal Code, any killing is classed as “premeditated murder,” and thus attracts a death sentence, “in cases where the murderer intentionally makes an action which is inherently lethal, even if [the murderer] does not intend to kill the person.”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 1990 Iran has executed at least 35 juvenile offenders, eight of them in 2007 and four in 2008.
The family of a murder victim have the right either to insist on execution, or to pardon the killer and receive financial compensation. A convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state, in violation of Article 6(4) of the ICCPR.
The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law. 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.
On 8 July 2008, during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Amnesty International issued a joint statement with over 20 other international and regional human rights organizations calling on Iranian authorities to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes committed by juvenile offenders, and to uphold their international obligation to enforce the absolute prohibition on the death penalty in such cases. See Iran: Spare four youths from execution, immediately enforce international prohibition on death penalty for juvenile offenders, available at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-spare-four-youths-execution-immediately-enforce-international-prohi
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals in your own words to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
– expressing concern that Kamal is at risk of execution for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence;
– reminding them that Iran is a state party to both 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 those under the age of 18 at the time of offence, and that to execute Kamal would therefore be a violation of international law;
– urging the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty for offences committed by people under the age of 18, so bringing Iran’s domestic law in 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:
Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Panzdah Khordad (Ark) Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)
Fax: 011 98 21 3390 4986 (may be difficult. If a voice answers, say, “Fax please”)
Salutation: Your Excellency
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
COPIES TO:
President
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 6 649 5880
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir (via website) http://www.president.ir/email/
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 (may be difficult)
Mr Seyed Mahdi Mohebi
Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy for the Islamic Republic of Iran
245 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2K2
Fax: (613) 232-5712
Please send appeals immediately. Thank you.
Amnesty International urgent call to save Soghra Najafpour
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC
AI Index: MDE13/098/2008 25 July 2008
Further Information on 271/07 (MDE/124/2007, 23 October 2007) Death Penalty/Fear of Imminent Execution
IRAN Soghra Najafpour (f), aged 31
Soghra Najafpour has been sentenced to death, for the second time, for a murder which took place when she was only 13 years old. She is in prison in the northern city of Rasht, where she has spent most of the last 19 years.
Soghra Najafpour was released on bail of 600 million Iranian rials (almost US$66,000) on 1 October 2007. She returned to prison later that month to comply with a summons which followed a new demand by the family of the murder victim for her execution to be carried out after they heard of her release.
On 23 October 2007, Soghra Najafpour’s lawyer petitioned the Office of the Head of the Judiciary to reinvestigate her case on account of serious flaws, following which her sentence of qesas (retribution) was overturned by the Supreme Court. The case was sent back for retrial in another branch of the General Court in Rasht. At the second trial, she was again found guilty and sentenced to qesas and remains at risk of execution.
At the age of nine, Soghra Najafpour was sent by her family to work as a servant in a doctor’s home in the city of Rasht. After Soghra Najafpour had been working for the family for four years, the eight-year-old son of the family went missing. She was accused of the boy’s murder when his body was found in a well a few days later. Soghra Najafpour initially denied the murder, but after repeated interrogation, confessed to committing it. Her confession was taken as proof of her guilt and she was sentenced to qesas.
In Soghra Najafpour’s appeal against her sentence she wrote, “I didn’t kill the eight-year-old boy, but I know who killed him and because of his request, I had to be silent. He had promised to get the victim’s mother to forgive me and to save me.” She added, “When I was nine, I was raped, and with the threats I received, I was forced to be silent, and on the day of the accident, I had a storeroom to clean and the same man who abused me came looking for me, and the boy, who was playing, came into the storeroom all of a sudden and saw me being abused. That man threw the boy against the wall and, in one instant, his head hit the wall and he lost consciousness. I couldn’t move the boy’s corpse, but that man wanted me to throw the body in the well.”
Her appeal was rejected and following a medical examination, Soghra Najafpour also received a sentence of flogging for fornication, despite her claim to have been raped. The man she had claimed was her abuser was acquitted because he did not confess to raping her and there was no other evidence to prove he was the perpetrator.
On two occasions, when Soghra Najafpour was 17 and 21, she was taken to be executed but the family of the victim changed their minds at the last minute. Soghra Najafpour will continue to seek to prove her innocence.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
International law strictly prohibits the use of the death penalty against people convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran has undertaken not to execute child offenders. However, since 1990, Iran has executed at least 33 child offenders, including at least two in 2008. Almost 140 juvenile offenders are believed to be on death row in Iran, the vast majority convicted of murder.
For more information see Iran: The Last Executioner of children (Index MDE 13/059/2007) and Iran: Spare four youths from execution, immediately enforce international prohibition on death penalty for juvenile offenders (http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-spare-four-youths-execution-immediately-enforce-international-prohi).
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English, French or your own language:
– urging the authorities to overturn the death sentence imposed on Soghra Najafpour, should it be upheld on appeal;
– 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 Soghra Najafpour would therefore be a violation of international law;
– calling for the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty for offences 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;
– expressing concern that Soghra Najafpour was flogged for having an illicit relationship after alleging that she was raped repeatedly from the age of nine and urging the authorities to end the practice of flogging, which is a cruel punishment which amounts to torture. Amnesty International is particularly concerned that a child who alleged she was raped was herself prosecuted and punished for committing zina (fornication).
APPEALS TO:
COPIES TO:
– 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 Soghra Najafpour would therefore be a violation of international law;
– calling for the authorities to pass legislation to abolish the death penalty for offences 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;
– expressing concern that Soghra Najafpour was flogged for having an illicit relationship after alleging that she was raped repeatedly from the age of nine and urging the authorities to end the practice of flogging, which is a cruel punishment which amounts to torture. Amnesty International is particularly concerned that a child who alleged she was raped was herself prosecuted and punished for committing zina (fornication).
APPEALS TO:
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:
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
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
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 05 September.
Amnesty Update on Mohammad Fadaee
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AI Index: MDE 13/082/2008
12 June 2008
Further Information on UA 146/08 (MDE 13/074/2008, 30 May 2008) – Imminent execution/legal concern
IRAN Mohammad Feda’i (m), aged 21, juvenile offender
Juvenile offender Mohammad Feda’i was granted a one-month reprieve on 10 June, the day before he was scheduled to be executed, to allow time for his family to negotiate with the family of the boy he was convicted of killing, and to agree on financial compensation in exchange for pardoning him.
Mohammad Feda’i had been due to be executed on 18 April 2007, but his execution was stayed because he had received inadequate legal
12 June 2008
Further Information on UA 146/08 (MDE 13/074/2008, 30 May 2008) – Imminent execution/legal concern
IRAN Mohammad Feda’i (m), aged 21, juvenile offender
Juvenile offender Mohammad Feda’i was granted a one-month reprieve on 10 June, the day before he was scheduled to be executed, to allow time for his family to negotiate with the family of the boy he was convicted of killing, and to agree on financial compensation in exchange for pardoning him.
Mohammad Feda’i had been due to be executed on 18 April 2007, but his execution was stayed because he had received inadequate legal
representation during his trial. His request for a retrial was rejected, and his execution was rescheduled for 11 June.
In a recent letter made public on 7 June, Mohammad Feda’i said that officials had kicked and tortured him, to the point that one night he agreed to sign – by way of a fingerprint – a confession without knowledge of its content. In his letter he wrote, “I was beaten and flogged repeatedly … They hanged me from the ceiling [and] left me with no hope of living.” The courts had taken no account of the fact that Mohammad Feda’i had only confessed after being tortured.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, English or your own language:
APPEALS TO:
In a recent letter made public on 7 June, Mohammad Feda’i said that officials had kicked and tortured him, to the point that one night he agreed to sign – by way of a fingerprint – a confession without knowledge of its content. In his letter he wrote, “I was beaten and flogged repeatedly … They hanged me from the ceiling [and] left me with no hope of living.” The courts had taken no account of the fact that Mohammad Feda’i had only confessed after being tortured.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Iran has undertaken not to execute people convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of 18. However, since 1990 Iran has executed at least 30 juvenile offenders, seven of them in 2007 and two in 2008.
A Kurdish boy, Mohammad Hassanzadeh, believed to be aged 16 or 17, was hanged in Sanandaj prison on 10 June. He had been convicted of murdering a 10-year-old boy; he had been aged about 15 at the time (see Kurdish boy executed in Iran, at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/kurdish-boy-executed-iran-20080611). Another juvenile offender, Javad Shoja’i, was executed in the central city of Esfahan on 26 February. He had been sentenced to qesas (retribution) for a murder carried out when he was 16.
At least 85, and possibly many more, other juvenile offenders are now on death row in Iran. The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law. 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.
For more information about executions of juvenile offenders in Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (MDE 13/059/2007, June 2007), http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007.
For more information about the reprieve handed down to Mohammad Feda’i on 10 June, see Iran: Reprieve should be first step in ending juvenile executions (11 June 2008), http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-reprieve-should-be-first-step-ending-juvenile-executions-20080611
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, English or your own language:
– welcoming the stay of execution granted to Mohammad Feda’i;
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence, as he is facing execution for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– pointing out that in a letter made public on 7 June Mohammad Feda’i described how he had been tortured and how he was forced to confess, both of which are strictly illegal under Iranian and international human rights law;
– acknowledging that governments have a right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences in proceedings that meet international standards for fair trial, but pointing out that the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment;
– reminding them that Iran is a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which prohibits the use of the death penalty against those under the age of 18 at the time of offence, and that the execution of Mohammad Feda’i would therefore be a violation of international law.
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
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 July 2008.
Amnesty Update on Behnoud Shojaee
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AI Index: MDE 13/081/2008
12 June 2008
Further Information on UA 114/08 (MDE 13/065/2008, 29 April 2008) and follow-up (MDE 13/066/2008, 08 May 2008) – imminent execution
IRAN Behnoud Shojaee (m), aged 20, juvenile offender
Juvenile offender Behnoud Shojaee was granted a one-month reprieve on 10 June, the day before he was scheduled for execution, to allow time for his family to negotiate financial compensation with the family of the boy he was convicted of stabbing to death, in exchange for a pardon.
This is the second time his execution has been postponed: he remains at risk of being executed unless the families can agree on compensation.
12 June 2008
Further Information on UA 114/08 (MDE 13/065/2008, 29 April 2008) and follow-up (MDE 13/066/2008, 08 May 2008) – imminent execution
IRAN Behnoud Shojaee (m), aged 20, juvenile offender
Juvenile offender Behnoud Shojaee was granted a one-month reprieve on 10 June, the day before he was scheduled for execution, to allow time for his family to negotiate financial compensation with the family of the boy he was convicted of stabbing to death, in exchange for a pardon.
This is the second time his execution has been postponed: he remains at risk of being executed unless the families can agree on compensation.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As a state party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Iran has undertaken not to execute people convicted of crimes committed when they were under the age of 18. However, since 1990 Iran has executed at least 30 juvenile offenders, seven of them in 2007 and two in 2008.
A Kurdish boy believed to be 16 or 17 years old was hanged in Sanandaj prison on 10 June 2008. He had been convicted of the murder of another boy, aged 10. He had been about 15 at the time (see Kurdish boy executed in Iran, at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/kurdish-boy-executed-iran-20080611 ). On 26 February 2008 Javad Shoja’i, who was sentenced to qesas, or retribution, for a murder he carried out at the age of 16, was executed in the central city of Esfahan.
At least 85 other juvenile offenders, possibly many more, are now on death row in Iran. The execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law. 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.
The family of a murder victim have the right either to insist on execution, or to pardon the killer and receive financial compensation. A convicted murderer has no right to seek pardon or commutation from the state, in violation of Article 6(4) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
For more information about executions of juvenile offenders in Iran, please see: Iran: The last executioner of children (MDE 13/059/2007, June 2007), http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engmde130592007.
For more information about the reprieve handed down to Behnoud Shojaee on 10 June, see Iran: Reprieve should be first step in ending juvenile executions (11 June 2008), http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-reprieve-should-be-first-step-ending-juvenile-executions-20080611
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language:
– welcoming the stay of execution of Behnoud Shojaee;
– calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence, as he is facing execution for a crime committed when he was under 18;
– acknowledging that governments have a right and responsibility to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offences in proceedings that meet international standards for fair trial, but pointing out that no one should be executed for crimes committed when under 18 and that the death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment;
– calling on the authorities to pass, as a matter of urgency, legislation abolishing the death penalty for all offences committed by those under 18, in accordance with Iran’s obligations as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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 24 July 2008.