UN experts denounce execution of two juveniles in Iran
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 October 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, UN experts denounce execution of two juveniles in Iran, 17 October 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813c6b1c.html [accessed 23 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
October 17, 2015
United Nations human rights experts expressed "outrage and profound sadness" at Iran's execution of two juvenile offenders, urging the country to "stop killing children."
Fatemeh Salbehi was hanged on October 13 after being found guilty for killing a man she had been forced to marry when she was just 16, becoming the 11th woman to be executed in Iran this year, along with around 700 men.
The UN experts on October 16 pointed to flaws in her trial and appeals process, and warned her execution was a clear breach of international law banning death sentences for juveniles.
They also decried the execution a week earlier of Samad Zahabi, who was sentenced to death for killing a fellow shepherd when he was just 17.
UN expert Dubravka Simonovic highlighted the court's lack of consideration for the circumstances surrounding Salbehi's crime, which she said was "emblematic of the struggles victims of domestic abuse face in the judicial system."
"We cannot ignore the serious consequences of psychological, sexual, and physical violence in the home on a woman's physical and psychological health," she said.
Based on reporting by AFP and United Nations
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
