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Sunday, October 06, 2024  
03 Rabi Al-Akhar 1446  

UN human rights office condemns child execution in Iran

Iran is one of the nations with the highest death penalty rates
File photo.
File photo.

The United Nations said on Tuesday that it regretted the death sentences that Iran had carried out for two individuals, ages 17 and 22, and that Tehran should immediately cease using the death penalty.

In a report published on The Guardian, The UN Human Rights Office said it was troubled by Friday’s executions. “The execution of Hamidreza Azari, who was accused of murder, is the first reported execution of an alleged child offender in Iran this year,” spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell said in a statement.

She reminded Tehran that it is required by international conventions to forbid the imposition of death sentences and the use of them in cases involving minors.

“We are also troubled by the execution, on the same day, of 22-year-old Milad Zohrevand – the eighth person to be executed in the context of the September 2022 protests,” said Throssell.

“Available information indicates that his trial lacked the basic requirements for due process under international human rights law. There are also troubling reports that Zohrevand’s parents were arrested following his execution.

“We deplore the executions.”

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died while in custody following her arrest in Tehran for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women in the Islamic republic. This incident served as the impetus for the protests that took place in September 2022.

Rights groups claim that Iran carried out a massive crackdown to put an end to the protests, which resulted in thousands of arrests and hundreds of deaths.

Iran is one of the nations with the highest death penalty rates, according to Throssell, especially for drug-related offenses, and minorities receive a disproportionate number of death sentences.

She called on Iran to immediately put an end to the death penalty’s application and impose a moratorium on its use.

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