Since 1990 at least 34 executions of juvenile offenders in Iran had been recorded (26 since 2005).
There are currently over 85 juvenile offenders on death row in Iran, sentenced to death following processes that significantly violate international human rights law. The majority of those sentenced to death are from marginalized groups or are individuals who themselves have been victims of abuse.
Offenders under age 18
Of the 43 child offenders recorded as having been executed since 1990, 11 were still under the age of 18 at the time of their execution, while the others were either kept on death row until they had reached 18, or were convicted and sentenced after reaching that age.
Amnesty International has identified three 17-year-old boys at risk of execution. They are Amin Mohammad (Mehdi) Shokrollahi, Amir Mohammad (Mehdi) Jafari and Arian Farzamnia.
Anti-regime protests have gripped Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last September. Iran executed at least 582 people last year, a 75% increase on the previous year, according to human rights groups who say the rise reflects an effort by Tehran to “instill fear” among anti-regime protesters.
Death Penalty
In China, where numbers remain a state secret, thousands of people are believed to be executed and sentenced to death each year. As our chart shows, Iran comes second only after China with at least 576 people known to have been executed in 2022, up 55 percent from the year.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR 1966), to which Iran is a signatory, and the UNCRC both explicitly forbid capital punishment for all children under the age of eighteen: “Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences ...
Government authorities have generally avoided publicly executing political prisoners because it generates greater domestic and international outcry. Nonetheless, political prisoners have still been publicly executed, in some cases under the pretense of being drug traffickers.
High Commissioner for Refugees, “[Iranian] child soldiers, some as young as nine, were used extensively during the Iran-Iraq war. … They were given 'keys to paradise' and promised that they would go directly to heaven if they died as martyrs against the Iraqi enemy.”
They have blamed 12 of these deaths on attacks by either “hired terrorists” or “unknown persons”, attributed three to suicidal or accidental falls from heights, one to a suicidal or accidental drug overdose, one to a dog bite, one to a motorcycle accident and another to a stampede.
Typically, those condemned are alive as the crane lifts them off their feet, hanging by a rope and struggling to breathe before they asphyxiate or their neck breaks. Activists have put pressure on companies providing cranes to Iran in the past, warning they can be used for executions.
The United States Supreme Court prohibits execution for crimes committed at the age of fifteen or younger. Nineteen states have laws permitting the execution of persons who committed crimes at sixteen or seventeen.
Huugjilt was held for 61 days. 18 at the time of his conviction, he was sentenced to death on 23 May 1996. He was executed by firing squad, on 10 June of that year; he was 18 at the time of his death.
Mahafarid Amir Khosravi (Persian: مهآفرید امیرخسروی) ( c. 1969 – 24 May 2014), also known as Amir Mansour Aria (Persian: امیرمنصور آریا), was an Iranian businessman who was executed for his part in the 2011 Iranian embezzlement scandal. At one time, he was considered the richest man in Iran.
Iranian law provides that if a victim's family forgives the accused in a capital crime, the convict can be either pardoned or given a jail sentence. Under the interpretation of Islamic sharia law in force since Iran's 1979 revolution, adultery is punishable by stoning.
Saudi Arabia has a criminal justice system based on a form of Shari'ah reflecting a particular state-sanctioned interpretation of Islam. Execution is usually carried out by beheading with a sword and hanging but may occasionally be performed by shooting or firing squad. Saudi Arabia performs public executions.
The Law of Alcohol in Iran
As it was mentioned before, the law is totally against producing, selling, having, and consuming alcohol in Iran. Accordingly, if you get cut while drinking or carrying alcohol, you will be faced with punishments like lashes, paying fines, or even jail.
Saudi Arabia retains the death penalty for a wide range of offences across three categories in Islamic law: Qisas (retributive), Had (mandatory) and Ta'zir (discretionary).
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in China. It is commonly applied for murder and drug trafficking, and is a legal penalty for other offenses. Executions are carried out by lethal injection or by shooting.
Between January 1 and May 5, 2023, Iran executed at least 192 people, including 8 women, the majority of them for drug-related offenses and murder.
MORATORIUM ON THE USE OF THE DEATH PENALTY
Australia opposes the death penalty, in all circumstances and for all people. Australia's opposition to the death penalty is a long-standing, bipartisan policy position. All jurisdictions in Australia abolished the death penalty by 1985.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty for murder in Japan, and is applied in cases of multiple murder or aggravated single murder. Executions in Japan are carried out by hanging, and the country has seven execution chambers, all located in major cities.
In 2022, 93% of known global executions (excluding China) were carried out in the Middle East and North Africa. The 196 executions recorded in Saudi Arabia were the highest yearly total known for this country in 30 years.