Appeal to End Juvenile Executions in Iran

Fill out the form below to send a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Head of the Judiciary Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, Director of Iran’s Human Rights Headquarters Mohammad Javad Larijani and President of the Islamic Republic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to END JUVENILE EXECUTIONS (sample posted after jump):

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Your Excellencies,

I am writing to express my deep concern about the practice of executing minors and those who committed crimes as minors, a practice that contradicts the most fundamental moral and ethical principles of civilized societies.

Regrettably, Iran, a country that is heir to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, is among only eight states (including the United States of America) that have implemented this practice in recent years. According to the independent group Amnesty International, “[t]he USA and Iran have each executed more child offenders than the other eight combined and Iran has… exceeded the USA’s total since 1990 of 19 child executions.”

Indeed, according to Amnesty International since 2004 Iran has been responsible for over 70% of all juvenile executions that have occurred worldwide. Amnesty International also reports that presently there are at least 86 juvenile offenders on the death row in Iran.

I would like to express particular concern regarding the imminent execution of six juvenile offenders: Saeed Jazzi, Behnam Zare, Mohammad Reza Haddadi, Iman Hashemi, Saeed Reza Hejazi, and Ahmad Mortazavian. I urge you to stop their imminent executions and consider alternative sentences for all juvenile offenders on the death row.

Juvenile executions in Iran are a source of conflict between Iran and the international community because such executions are prohibited by international human rights law. As you know, in December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly has expressed concern about the “Execution of persons who were under the age of 18 at the time their offence was committed, contrary to the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran under article 37 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution went on to urge Iran “To abolish, as called for by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its report of January 2005, executions of persons who at the time of their offence were under the age of 18…”

The United States Supreme Court ruled such executions unconstitutional in March 2005. We urge you to also immediately abolish this practice. The degrading and horrifying execution of child offenders is a stain on Iran’s global reputation that interferes with the progress of building international cooperation and understanding; it diminishes most of all the reputation and well-being of the Iranian people.

With your leadership, juvenile executions can end in Iran. I respectfully ask your consideration of my appeal.

Sincerely,

Your Name