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Iran stays execution of men sentenced to death as teens: report

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

[JURIST] Iranian authorities issued stays of execution Wednesday for two teens sentenced to death for crimes committed as juveniles. The two individuals facing the death penalty, Amir Khaleqi and Safar Angooti, were scheduled to be executed Wednesday morning after being convicted of murder committed while the were under the age of 18. Amnesty International (AI) called on Iran to halt the executions Tuesday. According to reports, Khaleqi was convicted of killing a man while drunk at the age of 16, while Angooti was convicted of killing a rival suitor at the age of 17. The lawyer for the two condemned inmates, Mohammad Mostafai, told AFP that he believes the executions will be stayed for a month. Wednesday's stays of execution come as various rights groups criticized Iran for the Friday execution of a 23-year-old woman, Delara Darabi, convicted of murder while a juvenile. Darabi was the second person this year to be executed for a crime allegedly committed while she was a minor. As there were seven such executions last year, and as there are reportedly approximately 130 juvenile convicts currently on death row in Iran, the country has received a great deal of criticism for failing to adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a party. Last October, Iran banned the execution of minors for drug related crimes. In both September of last year and in June of 2007, HRW called for Iran to stop using the death penalty for juveniles convicted of serious crimes.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 06, 2009 (boomark / email).