-
-
Iran condemned for youth hanging
Amnesty International has condemned the hanging in Iran of Reza Hejazi, who was executed for a crime he committed when he was under 18 years old.
Hejazi was aged 15 in 2004 when he was among a group of people involved in a dispute which resulted in a man being fatally stabbed.
He was hanged in the city of Isfahan on Tuesday, Iranian media said.
Amnesty says the execution of juvenile offenders is prohibited under international law.
The rights group also says the Iranian authorities failed to give 48 hours' notice of the execution, in contravention of Iranian law.
Hejazi's lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaie, told the BBC Persian Service that he had gone to Isfahan prison on Tuesday after hearing from Reza Hejazi's family that he was about to be executed.
After spending several hours there, he was told the execution had been postponed and he passed this news on to the family.
Mr Mostafaie said he was on his way back to his office in Tehran when he was told by journalists that Reza Hejazi had been hanged.
According to Amnesty International, the execution brings the number of juvenile offenders put to death in Iran this year to five, with 132 more on death row.
In 2007, Iran was one of only three countries to execute such offenders. So far this year it is the only country known to have done so.
Last year, Iran was second only to China in the number of overall executions it carried out for crimes including murder, rape, drug trafficking and armed robbery.
Last month, 29 criminals were executed in Teheran's Evin prison on a single day. Amnesty International has condemned the hanging in Iran of Reza Hejazi, who was executed for a crime he committed when he was under 18... more -
Iran to hang a boy for a murder he committed when he was 17
Mohammad Fadaei was convicted of a murder he committed when he was only seventeen years old, and the Supreme Court recently confirmed the Ghesas [roughly translated as punishment fitting the crime] order, placing Mr. Fadaei a step closer to execution. The order comes after the head of the judiciary refused to issue the death sentence against Mr. Fadaei and the case was then referred to the Supreme Court to be reviewed for eligibility for a new court session.
Mr. Fadaei has been in jail since he was seventeen years old, and during the past five years his case has gone through many ups and downs. His death sentencing was twice turned down by judiciary head Ayatullah Shahroodi’s intervention when until recently Ayatullah Shahroodi succeeded in rescinding the initial ruling. Newly appointed lawyers have submitted documents to prove that Mr. Fadaei’s original lawyer was not qualified, thus invaliding the entire original court proceedings. Although Ayatullah Shahroodi accepted the new lawyer’s claim and invalidated the initial court’s ruling, Branch 27 of the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentencing.
The Supreme Court judges argued that the sentencing has already been confirmed and there is not sufficient proof to drop the sentence against Mr. Fadaei to establish a new round of court proceedings. The confirmation of the Ghesas order by Branch 27 of the Supreme Court once again encouraged Mr. Fadaei’s lawyers to increase their efforts to win a new round of court proceedings. Mr. Fadaei’s lawyers maintain that his previous attorney was not licensed to practice law, thus invalidating the initial court proceedings and its ruling.
Mohammad Mostafaei, one of Mr. Fadaei’s lawyers, told a reporter from Etemad newspaper: “In a situation when the court’s ruling is not approved by the head of the judicial branch, the case is referred to the country’s supreme court. If the Supreme Court drops the charges, then the convict is given another chance for a new court proceeding. However, if the Supreme Court confirms the ruling, then the Ghesas order becomes final.” Mr. Mostafaei further added: “Mr. Fadaei appeared only once throughout the initial court proceedings in Branch 71 of the Criminal Court, and since his lawyer was incompetent and lacked any formal legal training, the court procedures and ruling were not contested and Mr. Fadaei’s rights were violated”.
Mr. Mostafaei added: “presently, we have three days to react to the ruling issued by the Supreme Court and cite Article 18 to demand a new court proceeding. In case our request is denied, the case will again be referred to desk of the head of judiciary for his intervention. I am confidents that the head of judiciary and legal technicians will consider our request as they have done so in the past”. Mohammad Fadaei was convicted of a murder he committed when he was only seventeen years old, and the Supreme Court recently confirmed ... more -
Eight women and a man face stoning in Iran for adultery
The British daily Guardian wrote an article on eight women and one man facing death by stoning in Iran. It is important to emphasize that this is just the number of those sentenced to stoning that we are aware of.The actual number might be higher.
Guardian: Eight women and a man face stoning in Iran for adultery Robert Tait and Noushin Hoseiny The Guardian, Monday July 21, 2008
Nine people in Iran - eight women and one man - have been sentenced to death by stoning after being convicted of adultery in verdicts lawyers blame on a resurgence of hardline Islamic fundamentalism.
The sentences have been imposed in courts across the country despite a supposed moratorium on the punishment, which Iran says is justified under sharia law.
Lawyers say most of the nine have been victims of violence and are mostly too ill-educated to understand the charges against them.
Many of the sentences were handed down after hearings held in private without the presence of witnesses and defence lawyers.
One woman, Kobra Najar, an ethnic Kurd, is said to have been condemned after being forced by her husband into prostitution. After she divorced him, he forced their daughter to sell her body.
Another defendant, Shamame Qorbani, claims she was raped but that the allegation was not investigated.
Details of the sentences were disclosed by Iranian lawyers yesterday in Tehran as they attempted to generate international support for a campaign to force Iran’s government to abolish stoning.
"These women mostly come from the illiterate masses and did not have money or access to a lawyer. Many did not understand Farsi and, of course, all the interrogations were in Farsi," Shadi Sadr, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer, told the Guardian. "In all of the cases, there has been violence against them, or they have been forced into marriages, or their divorce applications have been refused. In some cases, they couldn’t apply for a divorce due to family pressures."
Two of the cases took place in Tehran while two others are in the largely Arab-speaking city of Ahvaz. Two others are from the mainly Azeri-speaking north of the country.
They came to light after a group of Iranian lawyers embarked on a campaign to halt stoning, which has been condemned by international human rights groups.
The lawyers are calling on Iran’s judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, to issue pardons.
However, Shahroudi’s influence in the current political climate is believed to be limited. Last year, he ordered a stay of execution for a man condemned to be stoned for adultery but local officials carried out the sentence in violation of his orders.
Sadr said the verdicts were a consequence of an atmosphere of political repression and religious fundamentalism, under which MPs feel free introduce ever more draconian legislation. These include proposed laws allowing execution for witchcraft and bodily punishments such as blinding and amputation under a new penal code before parliament.
"It is connected to the general hardline politics," she said. "The more there is fundamentalism in general in our politics, the greater the worry that these verdicts will be carried out. If you have a hardline prosecutor in a remote rural area, he is going to be much more able to put his beliefs into practice in the current atmosphere." The British daily Guardian wrote an article on eight women and one man facing death by stoning in Iran. It is important to emphasize t... more -
2 MEN WERE EXECUTED THIS MORNING FOR OPPOSING THE GOVERNMENT
The civil society activist and journalist, Yaqub Mehrnehad was hanged in the prison of Zahedan (in the Sistan-Baluchestan province) early this morning, reported the state run news agency ISNA.
According to the report Yaqub M., son of Alam khan, was convicted of "Moharebeh" for being member of Jondollah (an armed group fighting against the Iranian authorities in Baluchestan) and sentenced to death. He was hanged in Zahedan prison along with another person identified as Abdolnaser T son of Sohrab, who also was convicted of the same charges.
Iranian authorities use often similar charges against civil and human rights activists.
The death sentence of Yaqub Mehrnehad, which was issued in February 2008, was met with a wave of condemnation and protest from the international organizations.
BACKGROUND:
Yaghoob Mehrnehad sentenced to death by a court in the Southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province in the month of "Dey" (10th month of the year according to the Persian calender; 21-December 2007 to 20 January 2008) . His family who were not present under the trial, were informed about the sentence by the authoritis on February 7. The death sentence was later confirmed officially by the judiciary.
Yaqub Mehrnehad has been the general secretary of the "youth, Voice of justice" association, journalist and head of the daily newspaper Mardomsalary in the Baluchestan province.
This association holds an annual symposium, which discusses the problems people face in the society and confronts the authorities with those questions. Yaghoob Mehrnehad and 5 other members of the society were arrested after the last annual meeting of the Society in April 2007. The other 5 were later released but Yaghoob Mehrnehad is still in the prison. According to a member of his family who had visited him two months ago, there were signs of torture on his head, face and body and he had lost much weight. The civil society activist and journalist, Yaqub Mehrnehad was hanged in the prison of Zahedan (in the Sistan-Baluchestan province) ea... more -
Man Hanged In Iran for "Illegal Sexual Act"
An execution order was carried out in Zahedan against an individual convicted of having an illegal sexual relationship.
According to reports by the public relations desk of the Sistan and Baluchistan provincial prosecutors, Hasan Sadeghpour, son of Mohammad, was convicted by a criminal court and sentenced to death for committing an illegal sexual act. The convict was thus ordered to be hanged. The provincial commission reviewed and denied request to exonerate the convict, and his final order for execution was approved by the Supreme Court. Mr. Sadeghpour was hanged this morning in the courtyard of Zahedan central prison. An execution order was carried out in Zahedan against an individual convicted of having an illegal sexual relationship. ... more -
A 34 years old woman is scheduled to be executed in Tehran on August 13
A 34 years old woman identified as Shabnam is scheduled to be executed on August 13, reported the Iranian daily newspaper Etemaad today. Shabnam is convicted of murdering her husband and has been in prison in 3 years, according to the report. Her death sentence has been approved bu the Supreme court and the execution order has been sent to the prison. According to her family she has been told that she will be executed on August 13. A 34 years old woman identified as Shabnam is scheduled to be executed on August 13, reported the Iranian daily newspaper Etemaad toda... more
-
Three men were hanged in Qom on Tuesday July 29
Three men were hanged in the prison of Qom (south of Tehran) early Tuesday July 29, reported the official Iranian news agency IRNA.
Ther were identified as Mehdi (27) Javad (34) and Ali (38) and were convicted of "immoral relationship", murder and drug trafficking according to the report. The report didn’t mention which of the charges each of those executed were convicted of.
Two people were hanged in Isfahan and one in Zahedan on the same day (July 29). Three men were hanged in the prison of Qom (south of Tehran) early Tuesday July 29, reported the official Iranian news agency IRNA. ... more -
Highest number of monthly executions in several years in Iran
According to the analysis by "Iran Human Rights" month of July 2008 had among the highest number of monthly executions in the past several years.
Number of exections:
- At least 71 people were executed in Iran in July 2008. 65 of the executions were announced by the official governmental media, while 6 of the executions were reported by the Human Rights activists in Iran.
Mass executions:
- 29 people were executed in Tehran’s Evin prison on July 27. This is the highest number of executions taken place in a single day in many years.
Execution of minor offenders:
- Two minor offenders identified as Hassan Mozaffari and Rahman Shahidi were executed in Bushehr on July 22. Several human rights organizations, among them "Iran Human rights", in a joint statement condemned the mass hangings of 29 people in Tehran, as well as execution of the two minors in Bushehr on July 22.
Public hangings:
- 10 people were hanged in public (four in Borazjan and 6 in Sabzevar), after several months without public hangings.
Public floggings:
- At least 2 public floggings were reported in the Iranian media. In one of the cases 5 men were flogged 71 times each. In the other case one man was flogged 70 times, but flogging of the other man was halted due to public protests
This report doesn’t include arbitrary arrestations and maltreatment of the prisoners that have taken place in July and that other organizations have reported.
A new list of more than 130 minor offenders on the death row in Iran was published on July 9, along with a joint statement from 20 human rights organizations calling for immediate enforcement of international prohibition on death penalty for juvenile offenders According to the analysis by "Iran Human Rights" month of July 2008 had among the highest number of monthly executions in th... more -
29 convicts executed in Iran
Iranian state television's Web site says 29 people convicted of murder, drug trafficking and other criminal charges have been hanged in Tehran's Evin prison.
The 29 had their cases tried by the highest judicial authorities and were found guilty of the charges brought against them, Iran's judiciary said in a statement.
The hangings bring to more than 100 the number of people executed in Iran so far this year. Iranian state television's Web site says 29 people convicted of murder, drug trafficking and other criminal charges have been han... more -
Iran hangs 29 convicted criminals in Tehran
Iran executed 29 convicted drug smugglers and "bandits" on Sunday morning in Tehran's Evin prison, the state broadcaster's website IRIB reported. Iran said on Saturday it planned to execute 30 people for murder, rape, drug smuggling and other crimes.
Police have in recent weeks arrested dozens of people in a new crackdown on "immoral behavior" in the Islamic Republic, whose human rights record is often criticized in the West.
"Some of these people were convicted of other crimes such as rape, murder, armed robbery ... and disrupting public security and peace," IRIB said. Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's Sharia law, enforced since the country's 1979 Islamic revolution.
Amnesty International in April listed Iran as the world's second most prolific executioner last year, with at least 317 people put to death, trailing only China which carried out 470 death sentences. Iran rejects accusations it is violating human rights and accuses the West of double standards and hypocrisy. Iran executed 29 convicted drug smugglers and "bandits" on Sunday morning in Tehran's Evin prison, the state broadcaste... more -
Mom indicted in deadly MySpace hoax (CNN)
" LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A federal grand jury indicted a Missouri woman Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a hoax on the online social network MySpace against a 13-year-old neighbor who committed suicide.
Megan Meier, 13, hanged herself in her bedroom after being targeted in a MySpace hoax. Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis is said to have helped create a false-identity MySpace account to contact Megan Meier, who thought she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. Josh didn't exist.
Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006 after receiving cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her."
__________________________________________
I am really saddened and somewhat angered. How old was this woman? Why would you do such a thing? Maybe she got teased when she was little but it does NOT excuse this sort of behavior.
This really is something that shouldn't have happened " LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A federal grand jury indicted a Missouri woman Thursday for her alleged role in perpetrating a ... more -
Hanging broadcast on Japanese radio
Rememebr watching Saddam being hanged? Yeh, not pleasant, no matter what you thought of him.
Now, a Japanese radio station has decided to evoke similar emotions by broadcasting audio of a hanging from 50 years ago to open up debate on capital punishment, which was re-introduced there in 1993.
The audio features the victim's final chat with his executioner, which would be creepy as anything, plus the sounds of the trap door opening and all the other moans and groans associated with a person dying.
And all to shock people into thinking about what capital punishment really is ... the killing of a fellow human. Rememebr watching Saddam being hanged? Yeh, not pleasant, no matter what you thought of him. ... more -
99% of Britain want death penalty
This is sick. The real title was 99% Want Death Penalty! And they went "!" as they are demanding it. The pictures real, they like the thought of it, they claim it puts fear back in the brut's faces.
"Above all, we will send a clear message to the criminals that show no respect whatsoever for the law, the community, or to their victims and their families. We will put the fear and respect back into the law of this once Great Nation."
Take a look at the party link and tell what you think, what ever the opinion This is sick. The real title was 99% Want Death Penalty! And they went "!" as they are demanding it. The pictures real, they... more -
Spate of Executions and Amputations in Iran
Iranian newspapers on Thursday reported the hanging of seven men convicted of murder and drug smuggling in different cities this week. In the first 10 days of January there have been 23 publicly disclosed executions.
Iran has been an active user of the death penalty, usually hanging, and is one of several countries that opposed its abolition last month during a vote on the United Nations General Assembly resolution, joining in an unusual alliance with the United States. Officials argued that the abolition of the death penalty would be an infringement on Iran's sovereignty. Iranian newspapers on Thursday reported the hanging of seven men convicted of murder and drug smuggling in different cities this week.... more -
Saddam: Hanged
On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, was led to the gallows to be executed by hanging.
-
related topics
Hanging
Contributors (31)
Hanging
