نوجوانان را اعدام نکنید SCE News and Updates archives

You can make a difference. Do not let Soghra be executed. Do not let what happend to Atefeh happens to Soghra too:

To learn about Soghra and to help save her life visit: http://scenews.blog.com/2216570/

According to Etemaad newspaper in Iran, Soghra Najafpour the Iranian girl who was sentenced to execution since the age of 13 was released today after 18 years.

Soghar was sentenced to death for alleged murder of a young child. Soghra had always denied the charges. She has spent all of her adult life , 18 years, in prison and is now 30 years old.  If not female, at the age of 12, Soghra would not have been sentenced to death, because according to Iran’s Islamic Sharia law a girl at 9 and a boy at 13 is considered an adult. 

Stop Child Executions Campaign had reported Soghra’s anticipated release in May 2007.

Soghra was once taken to be executed but appealed last minute. Soghra’s family live in a small village in Northern Iran near Caspian Sea. She was being presented by Nasrin Sotoudeh who is also the attorney for Sina Paymard, another boy who is anticipated to be released soon. According to Ms. Sotoudeh, there are  “many more” children facing executions in smaller towns. “These have not been reported in the press nor do they appear in officials records” she said.

Soghra is a girl with long straight hair and frightened green eyes who was known by the volunteers at Rasht prison, a city in northern Iran near Caspian sea, as the longest kept prisoner. She who was hired at the age of 9 as a servant in a Doctor’s home, but 4 years later she was accused of murder of the 8 year old son of the family. At the time 13 year old Soghra confessed to murder but soon after she denied any involvement and blamed her older boyfriend for it. Death of an 8 year old boy by a mature man rather than by a small framed, slim 13 year old girl seemed more logical and deserved more investigation but judges had already sentenced her to death and therefore discounted her story claiming that such man never existed and did not believe Soghra who said the reason for her initial silence was because she used to be in love with him.

17 years later, she has lost her teeth, takes strong antidepressant medications, been under surgery a few times and her hand shakes at the age of 30. She talks about her childhood that how her poor parents in return for a sack of rice sent her to serve at the “Doctor’s” home and how at the age of 13 she was sentenced to death for the murder that she did not commit.

Soghra knows Delara Darabi, another prison mate who was sentenced to death at the age of 17. Unlike Soghra who did not have a chance to attend school, Delara has high school education and that is why she helped Soghra with filling out her legal paperwork. After all not only they were the only two children in that prison who were sentenced to death, but they both used to be in love with men who took advantage of their childhood innocence. 

Nazanin Afshin-Jam and Stop Child Executions Campaign are very happy about the news of freedom of Soghar Najafpour and thank her attorney Mrs. Nasrin Sotoudeh and everyone who helped gain Soghra’s freedom. We also thank all the volunteers and supporters of Stop Child Executions Campaign for spreading Soghra’s story.

Looking forward to the day that no child in Iran and the world is given the execution verdict.

به گزارش روزنامه اعتماد  صغري در حالي پس از گذشت 13 سال نامه آزادي خود را دريافت کرد که در طول اين مدت به قصاص محکوم شده و حتي يک بار براي اجراي حکم به پاي چوبه دار منتقل شده بود.

سرگذشت صغري

صغري در خانواده يي روستايي در فومن متولد شد و هنگامي که فقط 9 سال داشت براي انجام کارهاي منزل و کارگري به خانواده يي در رشت تحويل داده شد. اين دختر چهار سال تمام با سختي در اين خانه کار کرد تا اينکه زماني که به 13 سالگي رسيد مسير زندگي اش دگرگون شد. در سال 68 پسر 8ساله خانواده يي که صغري براي آنها کار مي کرد به طرز مشکوکي به قتل رسيد و کارآگاهان وقت جنايي رشت با انجام تحقيقات دختر کارگر را تنها مظنون اين جنايت تشخيص دادند و او را بازداشت کردند. صغري در جريان بازجويي ها به قتل پسر 8 ساله اعتراف کرد اما هر بار که براي تحقيقات بيشتر از سوي قاضي پرونده و کارآگاهان مورد پرس وجو قرار مي گرفت اظهارات ضدونقيضي را درخصوص نحوه قتل مطرح مي کرد و همين امر سبب شد شبهاتي درخصوص گناهکار بودن اين دختر 13ساله به وجود بيايد. در نهايت صغري تحت محاکمه قرار گرفت و دلايل و اسناد موجود در پرونده سبب شد قاضي دادگاه اين دختر را مجرم و مستحق قصاص تشخيص دهد. پس از صدور حکم اعدام براي صغري پرونده او براي اظهارنظر نهايي به ديوان عالي کشور ارجاع شد.

قضات ديوان در سال 71 – يک سال پيش از آنکه ايران عضو کنوانسيون حقوق کودک شود- به بازخواني پرونده دختر جوان که در آن زمان به سن 18سالگي رسيده بود، پرداختند و راي صادره در مورد او را قانوني تشخيص دادند. با حک شدن مهر تاييد بر حکم قصاص صغري پرونده بار ديگر براي اجراي حکم به جريان افتاد و دختر جوان در شرايطي روزها را پشت ميله هاي زندان سپري مي کرد که هر لحظه امکان داشت مسوولان زندان وي را براي مجازات فرابخوانند.

دختر جوان سه سال ديگر را با وحشت اعدام پشت سر گذاشت و سرانجام هنگامي که 21 سالگي را تجربه مي کرد زمان اجراي حکم فرا رسيد. صغري در سحرگاه يکي از روزهاي اواسط سال 76 به محوطه زندان رشت انتقال يافت تا پاي چوبه دار برود.

هنگامي که تمامي مقدمات براي پايان دادن به زندگي اين دختر سياه بخت فراهم شده بود، اولياي دم پسربچه 8 ساله نتوانستند ناظر صحنه اعدام صغري باشند و از مسوولان اجراي حکم خواستند قصاص دختر جوان را براي سه ماه به تعويق بيندازند تا در اين مدت درباره سرنوشت اين محکوم به مرگ بيشتر فکر کنند. به اين ترتيب صغري جاني دوباره يافت و در حالي که به شدت شوکه شده بود به بند زنان زندان بازگشت. او که مي دانست تا پايان عمرش سه ماه بيشتر فرصت ندارد، اين مدت را نيز در وحشت و اضطراب گذراند اما با پايان يافتن مهلت سه ماهه صغري اولياي دم براي پيگيري پرونده و اجراي حکم، ديگر به دادگستري رشت مراجعه نکردند. رها کردن پرونده از سوي اولياي دم کودک

8 ساله سبب شد صغري از آن پس بلاتکليف در زندان بماند تا اينکه اسفندماه سال گذشته نسرين ستوده وکالت او را برعهده گرفت و تلاشش را براي آزادي اين دختر آغاز کرد. وکيل صغري با پيگيري هاي خود از مقامات دستگاه قضايي خواست پرونده دختر جوان بار ديگر به جريان بيفتد تا تکليف صغري مشخص شود.

در نهايت قاضي تيموري رئيس شعبه 105 دادگستري رشت مسوول رسيدگي مجدد به اين ماجرا شد و با بازخواني پرونده سرانجام طي حکمي اعلام کرد دختر جوان مي تواند با سپردن وثيقه 60 ميليون توماني آزاد شود. با صدور اين حکم صغري چند روز پيش بعد از گذشت 18 سال از زندان آزاد شد.

نسرين ستوده – وکيل صغري- درخصوص به جريان افتادن مجدد پرونده اين دختر و آزادي وي گفت؛ اسفندماه سال گذشته دادگستري رشت با ارجاع پرونده به قاضي ذي ربط تقاضاي اجراي قانون نسبت به اين موضوع را کرده بود. با ارجاع پرونده به قاضي و ملاحظه پرونده قاضي مربوطه طبق بخشنامه صادره از رئيس قوه قضائيه با آزادي صغري به شرط سپردن وثيقه موافقت کرد. اين اقدام قانوني و پسنديده قاضي نشان از اراده يي جدي براي رعايت حقوق کودکاني دارد که در زمان ارتکاب جرم کمتر از 18 سال دارند. ستوده افزود؛ هرچند از سيستم قضايي ايران انتظار مي رفت با انديشيدن تدابيري، از بلاتکليفي صغري طي 18 سال گذشته جلوگيري به عمل آورد اما توجه دستگاه قضايي به موضوعي که طي چند ماه گذشته مورد پيگيري بوده در جاي خود قابل تحسين است. معهذا سوالي ذهن را آزار مي دهد و آن اينکه در زندان هاي سراسر ايران چند زنداني با شرايط صغري به حيات پردرد و رنج خود ادامه مي دهند؟ وي در پايان پيشنهاد کرد؛ در صورت امکان زندان هاي کشور مورد بازبيني قرار گيرد تا اگر کودکي در پشت ميله هاي زندان وجود دارد، شرايط آزادي اش فراهم شود

Iran is a signatory to Convention on the Rights of the Child but its laws continue to remain in contraction with CRC. According to the laws of Iran, the penal age for girls is 9 and 15 for boys. A girl who does not even have the right to hold a bank account, suddenly in the eyes of Islamic Judges is treated like an adult at the age of 9. Soghra Najafpour who was sentenced to death at childhood is an example of this injustice:

With long straight hair and frightened green eyes, Soghra is known by the volunteers at Rasht prison as the longest kept prisoner. She who was hired at the age of 9 as a servant in a Doctor’s home, but 4 years later she was accused of murder of the 8 year old son of the family. At the time 13 year old Soghra confessed to murder but soon after she denied any involvement and blamed her older boyfriend for it. Death of an 8 year old boy by a mature man rather than by a small framed, slim 13 year old girl seemed more logical and deserved more investigation but judges had already sentenced her to death and therefore discounted her story claiming that such man never existed and did not believe Soghra who said the reason for her initial silence was because she used to be in love with him.

That 13 year old child is now 30 years old waiting 17 years of her teenage years and twenties to be executed. Already once she was even taken to be executed but appealed last minute.

17 years later, she has lost her teeth, takes strong antidepressant medications, been under surgery a few times and her hand shakes at the age of 30. She talks about her childhood that how her poor parents in return for a sack of rice sent her to serve at the “Doctor’s” home and how at the age of 13 she was sentenced to death for the murder that she did not commit.

Soghra knows Delara Darabi, another prison mate who was sentenced to death at the age of 17. Unlike Soghra who did not have a chance to attend school, Delara has high school education and that is why she helped Soghra with filling out her legal paperwork. After all not only they were the only two children in that prison who were sentenced to death, but they both used to be in love with men who took advantage of their childhood innocence. 

These days there is a small flicker of hope for Soghra: According to her attorney and children rights activist, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Soghra obtained a ruling for her release in return for approximately $40,000 bail but without any change in her execution verdict.      

But Soghra’s family who live in a small village have no such financial capacity and therefore Soghra continues to live in the only home that she has known since the age of 13:  Rasht Prison of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

PERSIAN : http://scenews.blog.com/1957194/                                               Source: Aftab.ir  

Stop Child Executions Campaign was informed of yet another Iranian female who is sentenced to death for alleged murder of a 9 year old boy. Soghra was 13 years old at the time and has always denied the charges. She has spent all of her adult life , 17 years, in prison and is now 29 years old. 

If not female, at the age of 13, Soghra would not have been sentenced to death, because according to Iran’s Islamic Sharia law a girl at 9 and a boy at 13 is considered an adult. 

Soghra’s family live in a small village in Northern Iran near Caspian Sea. She is being presented by Nasrin Sotoudeh who is also the attorney for Sina Paymard, another boy who is facing imminent execution. According to Ms. Sotoudeh, there are  “many more” children facing executions in smaller towns. “These have not been reported in the press nor do they appear in officials records” she said.

Soghra is imprisoned in the same prison as Delara Darabi and Delara has been helping Soghra with some of her legal representation within prison which eventually resulted in posting a guarantee for her freedom. Soghra’s father has been able to secure the deed of a house as guarantee and therefore Soghra is expected to be freed after 17 years. Delara has been very happy that Soghra will be freed soon.