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Iran judiciary proposes legislation lessening penalties for juvenile offenders

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The Judiciary of Iran announced Tuesday that it has submitted proposed legislation to the Iranian Parliament recommending substantial changes to the treatment of juvenile offenders in Iran. The legislation seeks to amend the classification of minors into three age groups - 7-12, 12-15, and 15-18 - to allow for more appropriate sentencing of offenders. The judiciary further recommends that the death penalty be used only if it can be demonstrated that the offenders possessed the maturity to understand the implication of their crimes. The new age classifications also seek to limit time spent in jail. A juvenile under 15 who commits a crime may receive little or no time in a juvenile prison for a crime that, when committed by an adult, would result in substantial jail time. The proposed legislation signals further change from previous attitudes concerning the punishment of minor offenders. In October, the Judiciary banned the imposition of the death penalty for drug-related offenses. Iran has previously been heavily criticized by human rights groups for imposing the death penalty on minors. In September, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urged Iran to ban the use of the death penalty against juvenile offenders. Human Rights Watch has said that Iran leads the world in executing the most people for crimes committed as children.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 18, 2009 (boomark / email).