Iran executes minor, igniting international outcry over continued juvenile executions

Shafaq News / Two Iranian human rights organizations revealed on Saturday the execution of a 17-year-old boy on charges of murder, expressing their outrage at the continued execution of minors by the Islamic Republic.

Hameed Reza Azari was executed yesterday, Friday, in a prison in the eastern town of Sabzevar in Khorasan Razavi province, according to statements from the organizations "Hangaw" and "Human Rights in Iran", based in Norway, as reported by the French news agency AFP.

The Iran International Persian-language channel broadcasted news of the execution, stating that Azari was an orphan who had started working in scrap metal a few years ago despite his young age.

The organizations cited documents revealing that Azari, who was sentenced to death in May, was 16 years old at the time of committing the murder during a fight and 17 at the time of his execution.

The organizations considered the execution another violation by Iran of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines a child as anyone under the age of 18.

The Human Rights in Iran organization added that "Iran is among the few countries that impose the death penalty on convicted minors and leads in executing death sentences against boys," noting that according to its data, at least 68 minors have been executed in Iran since 2010.

Mahmoud Amiri-Muqaddam, the organization's director, stated, "In Iran, if someone wants to get a driver's license, they must be 18 years old, but at 15, they are old enough to be executed."

The organization explained that Iranian criminal law clearly sets the age of 15 for criminal responsibility for boys.

The organization highlighted Iranian media disseminating news of the execution of a person named Hamid Reza A, falsely stating that he was 18 years old, in an "intentional attempt to evade accountability for violating international laws."

Additionally, Iran also executed a young Iranian in his early twenties on Thursday, convicted in a case related to the 2022 protests, as stated by the Human Rights in Iran organization, which mentioned that he was buried "secretly" amidst heavy security presence.

Activists claim that Iran has carried out an unprecedented series of executions in recent years to intimidate citizens following the protests.

At least 684 executions have been recorded in Iran this year, most of them on charges related to drugs and murder, according to the Iranian human rights organization.