نوجوانان را اعدام نکنید SCE News and Updates archives

Following SCE’s communication with International Committee Against Executions on the executions orders of Ali Mahin-Torabi, Mohammad Latif and Delara Darabi, they informed Nazanin Afshin-Jam that ICAE has contacted the Swedish Foreign Ministry who subsequently notified the Swedish embassy in Teheran.  

They will be following the 3 cases tomorrow via the Swedish EU-membership locally in Tehran and try to arrange a meeting with Iran’s foreign ministry to address their concern.

Earlier in October 2007, after prior contacts of ICAE with Swedish Parliament, few members of the Swedish Parliament sent an email to supreme leaders of Islamic regime, Ayatollah Khamenei and Iran’s Embassy in Sweden.

In their letter, they wrote: “

“….In regards to the recent report of The High Commissioner for Human Rights and the latest European Union declaration on human rights situation in Iran, we, as social democratic members of the Swedish parliament strongly condemn the brutal assault on human rights in Iran. ”.

“Ali Mahin Torabi has been convicted of a murder committed when he was 16 years old and is now at risk of imminent execution, though Iran is a state party to international treaties including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which expressly prohibit the execution of child offenders. “

They also demanded leader of Islamic regime to “ Stop all executions and abolish execution of children.”

They additionally asked him to immediately “ release all political prisoners, members of the student movement, the women movement, the workers movement and the social movements. We demand human, social, and political rights and recognition of the right to organize unions, political and social organizations. “

Today in two seperate letters , Nazanin Afshin-Jam asked the Canadian Government and Louis Arbor, the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner for their help in stopping the executions of Ali Mahin-Torabi and Mohammad Latif.
 
After referring to last week’s execution of Makwan Moloudzadeh, in her urgent letters Nazanin wrote:
 
“There seems to be a “killing spree” lately in Iran and we have just been informed of two more urgent cases. Because they are no longer informing when an execution is set to take place, we must now be extra vigilent to prevent these occurances.”

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Stop Child Execution volunteers have been working many extra hours in the past few days communicating with different human rights organizations, governments, attorneys, parents as well as informing and posting in different website , volumes of bad news coming from Iran regarding child executions.

As reported by SCE campaign 2 weeks ago, in a recent interview one of the heads of Iran’s police stated that as many as 170 Iranian children will be facing execution soon: http://scenews.blog.com/2325039/

WHERE IS USA ? WHERE IS UN ?

The number of children staying with their mothers in Afghan prisons is extremely high, almost equal to the number of their mothers.

KABUL • Afghanistan said it had summoned Iran’s representative to complain about reports of Afghan minors being sentenced to death for drug smuggling and the forced expulsion of refugees.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi also raised concern at the meeting on Thursday about claims that Afghan nationals were beaten up in Tehran, the foreign ministry said in a statement. 

It is not unusual in Iran for drug smugglers of Afghan origin to be executed in border provinces. A report late October cited an Afghan human rights group saying a 17-year-old may have been hanged for smuggling 1.5 kilograms (three pounds) of heroin.

Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi raised concern at the meeting  that  “these children are being misused by drug smugglers and their conviction is contrary to human rights, international standards and the very good relations between two countries,”  The deputy minister asked the Iranian charge d’affaires, Ghulam Raza Nafar, to take up the issue with his government.

According to a November 1, 2007 report by Amnesty International, Hafez Ibrahim who had been sentenced to death for a crime allegedly committeed when he was 16 years old was released on 30 October after the family of the man he was convicted of murdering agreed to pardon him in exchange for diyeh (compensation) of 25 million Yemeni riyals (approximately USD$126,217).

Following the August 2007 report by Amnesty International and Stop Child Executions Campaign and a letter to the leaders of the Republic of Yemen by Nazanin Afshin-Jam and many other international pleas, the alleged victim’s family agreed to a stay of execution until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ended in mid-October.

This was followed by negotiations with the family of the victim, who reportedly agreed to pardon Hafez Ibrahim in exchange for diyeh. This agreement was finalized, and the diyeh is believed to have been paid.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Stop Child Execution Campaign thank everyone and all the volunteers and supporters of the International Campaign to Stop Child Execution for spreading the word, their efforts and plea letters which lead to delay of execution and saving Ibrahim’s life.

According to our records there is still at least one more child (Walid Haikal- male – 15)  facing execution in Yemen.

11790.

Lars Johansson

Sweden

MP

11800.

Gunilla Wahlen

Sweden

MP, Member of Parliament, Left Party

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Stop Child Executions Campaign wish to thank Honorable members of the Swedish Parliament: Gunilla Wahlen and Lars Johansson for their support of the campaign to stop child executions.

To date 103 of the 350 members of the Swedish Parliament have signed the petition to Stop Child Executions:

Barbro Westerholm, Gunnar Andrén, Birgitta Ohlsson, Alice Åström, Wiwi-Anne Johansson, Gudrun Utas, Jenny Fors, Egon Frid, Mats Einarsson, Gunilla Wahlén, Eva Olofsson, Elina Linna, Lars Ohly, Anki Ahlsten, Rossana Dinamarca, Mats Sander, Ulla andersson, Ewa Larsson, Ulrika Carlsson, Göran Lindblad, Kerstin Engle, Helena Leander, Mats Pertoft, Siv Holma, Eva Selin Lindgren, Per Bolund, Gunvor G Ericson, Birgitta Sellén, Solveig Zander, Eva Flyborg, Maria Lundqvist-Brömster, Maria Kornevik Jakobsson, Christer Winbäck, Kristin Oretorp, Holger Gustafsson, Solveig Hellquist, Tina Acketoft, Tina Ehn, barbro westerholm, Max Andersson, Bodil Ceballos, Solveig Zander, Agneta Berliner, Staffan Danielsson, Per Lodenius, Mildred Thulin, Morgan Johansson, Anita Brodén, Karla Lopez, Lars Lilja, Peter Jeppsson, Karin Svensson Smith, Eva-Lena Jansson, Lars Mejern Larsson, Hans Rothenberg, Veronica Palm, Ulla Löfgren, Inger Jarl Beck, Betty Malmberg, Lars-Ivar Ericson, Annie Johansson, Lennart Pettersson, Fredrik Malm, Hillevi Larsson, Désirée Pethrus Engström, Stefan Attefall, Inger Davidson, Karin Pilsäter, Jan Ertsborn, Marianne Berg, Peter Hultqvist, Emma Henriksson, Torbjörn Björlund, Désirée Liljevall, Lars Tysklind, Nina Larsson, Jennifer Hacker, Ulf Holm, Ola Nilsson, LiseLotte Olsson, Hans Linde, Lena Hallengren, Hans Backman, Josefin Brink, Maryam Yazdanfar, Fredrick Federley, Allan Widman, Mikael Johansson, Johan Pehrson, Jan Ericson, Rolf K Nilsson, Tomas Tobé, Maria Östberg Svanelind, Inger René, Ewa Thalén Finné, Walburga Habsburg, Mats G Nilsson, Gunilla Wahlen and Lars Johansson

In a strong letter to the Islamic Regime in Iran , members of the Swedish parliament questioned the human rights violations in Iran. They also objected to the execution verdict of Ali Mahin-Torabi and demanded the Iranian government to stop all child executions.

Source: International Commiteee Against Executions (Persian)

گروهی از نمایندگان پارلمان سوئد در تاریخ دوشنبه ۲۲ اکتبر، با ارسال يک نامه شديد اللحن به مقامات جمهوري اسلامي خواهان رعايت حقوق انساني در ايران شدند.

در ابتدای نامه آمده است «بنا به تازه ترین اخبار رسمی، وضعیت حقوق بشر در ایران رو به وخامت رفته است آزادی‌های اساسی بیان و تشکل برای جامعه مدنی در سال جاری محدود شده است». همچنین در این نامه آمده است که «با توجه به گزارش اخیر کمیساریای عالی حقوق بشر سازمان ملل متحد و بیانیه تازه جامعه اروپا در مورد نقض حقوق بشر در ایران، ما نیز به عنوان نمایندگان پارلمانی عضو حزب سوسیال دمکرات نقض خشن حقوق بشر در ایران را محکوم می کنیم». نمایندگان حزب سوسیال دمکرات در پارلمان سوئد از علی مهین ترابی- جوانی که در انتظار اعدام است- و منصور اسانلو – دبیر سندیکای شرکت واحد- به عنوان دو مورد از کسانی که حقوق انسانی آنها نقض شده یاد کرده‌اند. در این نامه از رژیم ایران خواسته شده تا همه اعدام‌ها را متوقف نموده مجازات اعدام کودکان را لغو نماید.
همه زندانیان سیاسی اعم از جنبش دانشجوئی، جنبش زنان و جنبش کارگری و جنبش‌های اجتماعی را آزاد نماید. در پایان، امضاء کنندگان نامه، خواهان احقاق حقوق انسانی، اجتماعی و سیاسی جامعه و همچنین آزادی ایجاد تشکل‌های سیاسی و اجتماعی شده‌اند.

مریم یزدانفر (نماینده پارلمان)

کارینا هگ (نماینده پارلمان)

ورونیکا پالم (نماینده پارلمان)

کارینا اولسون (نماینده پارلمان)

بیورن فون سیدو (نماینده پارلمان، رئیس سابق پارلمان سوئد)

کریستینا آکسلسون (نماینده پارلمان)

بوریه وستلوند (نماینده پارلمان)

بو برناردسون (نماینده پارلمان)

آلکساندر گابلیچ (نماینده پارلمان)

میکائل دامبری (نماینده پارلمان)

 

Following the initial report by Stop Child Execution followed by Amnesty International, the news of the pending execution of Soghra Najafpour is rapidly expanding in many countries: Yesterday the Norwegian Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian regime’s ambassador to Oslo to protest against a decision to execute Soghra Najafpour , for a crime she was alleged to have committed when she was only 12. Soghra Najafpour, 31 old female, was jailed 18 years ago for alleged murder of an eight-year-old boy. At the time she was working as a child servant for the boy’s family. She says that the father of the family killed his son accidentally. Elisabeth Walaas, deputy Foreign Minister, in a statement said that the execution of individuals who were under 18 at the time of committing a crime is in breach of international conventions in which the regime is a party. Walaas reiterated that Norway and other countries had protested against execution of children in Iran over the recent years and underlined the importance of international pressures to stop these executions. Source: NCRI – Wednesday October 24, 2007

According to BBC NEWS (Persian), the parliament of Afghanistan announced their concern about Afghani children facing execution in Iran and asked Afghan government to resolve this issue with Islamic regime in Iran through it’s diplomatic channels. Afghan members of parliament complained that regime of Iran’s actions are in violation of the international children rights conventions. 

Additionally independent human rights commission of Afghanistan reported that there were initially 19 Afghani children on the execution row, however two of them were recently executed. Commission official Farid Hamidy stated that these children were smuggled to Iran with fake passports and were accused of drug trafficking. The children are being kept imprisoned until they grow to the age of 18 and then executed.

Stop Child Executions Campaign has contacted Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan for more documents and names of the 17 Afghani children facing execution in Iran as well as name and information of the two who were recently executed.

Based on this news the recorded number of children facing execution in Iran jumps from 80 to 97 and the number of children executed in 2007 in Iran are increased from 2 to 4.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and SCE campaign strongly condemn the Shocking execution of 2 Afghani children and demand an immediate halt to the execution of the remaining 17 Afghani Children. We additionally extend an offer to assist the human rights activists, organizations, government and parliament of Afghanistan with all our resources in order to stop the execution of imprisonsed Afghani Children in Iran. 

Source : BBC Persian

According to sueddeutsche.de,  on Monday Al Riyadh, a Saudi Arabian newspaper, reported that a 12 year old boy is awaiting to be beheaded for an alleged murder of another Saudi boy. Meanwhile the boy’s mother is trying to collect the “blood money” to pay to the family of the alleged victim. According to Al-Riyadh, The victims family has demanded three million Rials (about $800,000 USD) to pardon the boy.

The boys mother has only been able to collect less than 10% of the money (250,000 Rials) and has asked for donations to save her son’s life from imminent execution.

 Source: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/,ra2l1/panorama/artikel/432/133185/

Background Information: Saudi Arabia beheaded another child last month. Due to the strict secrecy of the criminal justice system, it is not possible to know how many juvenile offenders have been put to death in Saudi Arabia, but according to a media report, over 100 juvenile offenders are said to be on death row. They include Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan national who was 17 at the time of the alleged murder for which she was sentenced to death following her arrest in 2005. They may also include Sultan Kohail, a 16-year-old Canadian national who was tried early this year on murder charges along with his brother Mohamed Kohail, aged 22. Trial proceedings usually take place behind closed doors without adequate legal representation, and invariably fall short of international fair trial standards. Both children and adults are often convicted on the basis of “confessions” obtained under duress, including torture or other ill-treatment during incommunicado detention. International law prohibits Saudi Arabia from executing people for crimes committed when they are below the age of 18. Saudi Arabian officials have maintained that they comply with this obligation, contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Stop Child Executions Campaign strongly condemns child executions by Saudi Arabia and demand an immediate halt to this practice.

URGENT ACTION: Write to following Saudi leaders referring to the Saudi newspaper report and demand a stop to the execution of children in compliance with UN children Rights Conventions.  

His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud – Minister of the Interior

After Stop Child Execution Campaign was notified of the imminent execution of Behnam Zare by his atorney Mohammad Mostafaei; Nazanin Afshin-Jam and SCE contacted Amnesty International which resulted in their issuance of an international Urgent Action Call. Nazanin Afshin-Jam also has contacted the office of Ms. Louise Arbour, the High Commissioner for Human Rights at United Nations and her office has “provided the the information to the human
rights mechanisms in Geneva for their attention.”

Also after learning about scheduled execution of Behnam Zare, the presidency of the European Union sent issued an statement, urging the Islamic regie in Iran to halt the execution. Additionally the governments of Australia, Croatia, Canada and Norway supported the statement. 

SCE is hopeful that as a result of the created international pressure , Behnam to be saved from execution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Premier Romano Prodi defended Italy’s opposition to the death penalty after Rome’s criticism of Iran’s recent mass executions escalated into a diplomatic fight.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman called Rome’s protests an interference in Tehran’s internal affairs. However Prodi insisted “Italy has a right to express its opposition to these executions.”  The Italian Italian Foreign ministry expressed “strong worry”.

“Iran is a country that abuses the death penalty and denies basic rights. It is a right and a duty to raise our voice,” Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Gianni Vernetti told Corriere della Sera daily.

Source: Dow Jones,  August 6, 2007

Some 500 children are currently in Yemeni prisons, often alongside adult criminals, says a new report on children, released by the Rights and Freedoms Committee of the Consultative Council.

Nine children from various governorates have been sentenced to death, though they are under the age of 18, says the report.

A total of 109 juveniles have been accused of serious crimes, including murder, manslaughter, and attempted murder.

45 of these children are between the ages of 12 and 15.

Some 66 children are between 16 and 18.

The report criticized the way courts view the children as criminals, and said this resulted from the lack of specialised juvenile judges and prosecutors in some governorates. It also highlighted the need for female juveniles to be guarded by female police in all prisons. “The policemen are not trained how to deal with juveniles.”

The report also stated that many juveniles are held in crowded prisons in unhealthy and inhuman conditions, which risks their health.

Sources: NewsYemen, Yemen Observer

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL                                                
AI Index: MDE 31/013/2007  
UPDATE
10 August 2007                        

Further Information on UA 79/05 (MDE 31/003/2005, 5 April 2005) and follow-ups (MDE 31/004/2005, 6 April 2005; MDE 31/008/2007, 1 August 2007; MDE 31/010/2007, 08 August 2007) – Fear of imminent execution

YEMEN                   

Hafez Ibrahim (m), age unclear

Relatives of the victim of the murder for which Hafez Ibrahim has been sentenced to death have agreed to a stay of execution until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in mid-October. According to the Shariah law rule of qisas (retribution), family members of a murder victim are entitled to seek the execution of the person responsible. Alternatively, they may pardon them, freely or in exchange for diya (compensation). The victim’s family have previously refused to pardon Hafez Ibrahim, and he therefore remains in grave danger of execution.

President ‘Ali ‘Abdullah Saleh has reportedly appointed a committee to clarify Hafez Ibrahim’s age at the time that the crime of which he has been convicted was committed. Under Article 31 of the Yemeni penal code, if the age of the defendant is not certain, then the trial judge must determine it with the assistance of an expert.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: If possible, please send another message within the month. Alternatively, consider asking someone in your community to respond to this appeal as well as, or instead of, writing again yourself.

- Welcome the stay of execution granted to Hafez Ibrahim and the appointment of a committee to clarify Hafez Ibrahim’s age, and urge the President to commute his death sentence;

- Urge the President to commute all outstanding death sentences and establish a moratorium on executions, with a view to completely abolishing the death penalty, as called for by Paragraph 5(b) of resolution 2001/68 of the Commission on Human Rights.

APPEALS TO:

His Excellency General ´Ali ´Abdullah Saleh
President of the Republic of Yemen
Sana’a
Republic of Yemen
Fax:                  011 967 127 4147
Salutation:         Your Excellency

COPIES TO two or more of the following:

His Excellency Dr. Abdulla Abdulwali NASHER
Ambassador for Yemen
54 Chamberlain Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1V9
Fax: (613) 729-8915
E-mail: info@yemenincanada.ca <mailto:info@yemenincanada.ca> 

His Excellency ‘Abdullah al-Ulufi
Office of Attorney General
Sana’a, Republic of Yemen
Fax:                  011 967 137 4412
Salutation:         Your Excellency  

His Excellency Dr Rashid Muhammad al-’Alimi
Ministry of Interior
Sana’a, Republic of Yemen
Fax:      011 967 1 332 511
Salutation:         Your Excellency

Her Excellency Houda ‘Ali ‘Abdullatif al-Baan
Ministry for Human Rights
Sana’a, Republic of Yemen
Faxes:              011 967 1 444 838
Salutation:         Your Excellency
 
Thank you for your continued focus on Hafez Ibrahim.