www.stopchildexecutions.com

Althoughhis lawyer Mr. Mohammad Mostafaei has not receive official notice ofthe execution date, he was informed by Mohammadreza’s father that he isscheduled to be executed on Wednesday May 27th at Adelabad prison in Shiraz where he has been imprisoned for the last 4 years.

Eighteen year old Mohammdreza Haddadi wassentenced to death by hanging for an alleged murder at the age of 15.His appeal was denied by the superior court and the file was sentto the division of enforcement of verdicts for final execution permitby Ayatollah Shahrudi, the head of Iran's judiciary.

MohammadReza Haddadi, aged 18, is held in Adelabad prison in the city ofShiraz. He was sentenced to death in January 2004 by a court inKazeroun for the murder of a man in 2003. He had confessed to themurder, but retracted the confession during his trial, saying he hadclaimed responsibility for the killing because his two co-defendantshad offered his family money if he did so. Mohammad Reza Haddadi statedduring the trial that he had not taken part in murder of a man who hadoffered him and the two others a lift in his car. The two others latersupported Mohammad Reza Haddadi's claims of innocence, and withdrewtheir testimony that implicated him in the murder. His co-defendants,both over 18 at the time of the crime, are said to have received lessersentences. However, in July 2005, a branch of the Supreme Court upheldthe death sentence against Mohammad Reza Haddadi and later authorizedby Ayatollah Shahroudi, the Head of Iran's Judiciary.

Background:

Mohammad Reza's execution order was reported for the first time by Stop Child Executions Campaign in January 12, 2008 .At the time no details were available until the new attorney MohammadMostafaei met Mohammadreza in Shiraz prison in the first week ofFebruary 2008. Subsequent to the initial report by SCE, the presidentof the European Union on behlaf of 42 countries listed Mohammadreza'sname in its letter to Iranian authorities condemning the executionorder. (Januray 25, 2008). 

In a recent letter to Shahrudi, Mohammad Mostafaei detailedthe incident and the flaws in the judicial processing of the case.According to the testimony of Karim Haddadi :

“ MohammadrezaHaddadi was accompanied by 3 adults: Mohammad Ghorbani, Karim Haaddaiand his cousin Taghi Haddadi. They asked an old man to drive them toneighboring city and along the way when the driver stopped to fill thecar radiator with water, Taghi Haddadi hit the driver in the head witha rock. According to Taghi they all beat the driver anddragged his body to the trunk of the car and drove away. According tothe testimony, when they heard that the man was still alive,Taghi stoped the car and Mehdi hit the man with a piece of wood in thehead. Karim testified that Taghi and 15 year old Mohammadreza strangledthe man.  Then they burned the body and buried it. After the arrest,Mohammadreza confess to murdering the man. 

Followingone of the court sessions he asked his mother if she had received asubstantial amount of money promised to him by the three other men inreturn for his confession. After finding out that no money was given tohis mother, he stated that he was lead to confession by the adults and  had nothing to do with the crime..

Regardlessthe court decided that  Mohammadreza was guilty ofmurder. He was sentenced to death while the three adults were sentencedto long imprisonments. 

Despitethe fact that the other men later testified that Mohammadreza wasinnocent of the crime, his appeal was still denied and the executionorder was confirmed . Th file was sent to division of enforcement ofverdicts. The file incorrectly showed Mohammad's age at the time ofmurder as 19 instead of 15.  In his letter, Mostafaei asked Shahrudi to order further review of the file based on the retracted testimony of others.

Mohammadreza Haddadi was scheduled to be executed on October 9th 2008, but his execution was stayed by Ayatollah  Shahrudi.

ConsideringMohammad Reza's age at the time, it was highly unlikely that the murderwas planned and executed by the 15 year old instead of the other adultsinvolved in the crime.. It is likely that Mohammad was "influenced" andtaken advantage of by the adults, due to his immaturity in confessingto the crime in hopes of that due to his young age, the verdict wouldbe more lenient.

StopChild Executions Campaign recognizes the right and responsibility ofgovernments to bring to justice those suspected of criminal offenses,but is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances especially forthose person guilty of crimes committed before the age of 18.

SCE has informed the High Commission on Human Rights at the United Nations and other international bodies.

For read more about Mohammad Reza visit: //scenews.blog.com/Mohammadreza%20Haddadi/

Please  send urgent appeals

-calling on the authorities to commute his death sentence, as he isfacing execution for a crime committed when he was under 18 which inaccordance with Iran’s obligations as a state party to theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Conventionon the Rights of the Child, is against international human rights law.

Head of the Judiciary

Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi

c/o Director, Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office

Ardeshir Sadiq

Judiciary Public Relations and Information Office

No. 57, Pasteur St., corner of Khosh Zaban Avenue

Tehran, Iran

Email:                     info@dadiran.ir  (In the subject line write: FAO Ayatollah Shahroudi)

Salutation:           Your Excellency

Judiciary spokesperson

Alireza Jamshidi

Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary

Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri

Tehran 1316814737, Iran

Email:                    info@a-jamshidi.ir

Salutation:           Dear Sir

Leader of the Islamic Republic

Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, The Office of the Supreme Leader

Islamic Republic Street – End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Email:                     info_leader@leader.ir

via website: //www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter (English)

//www.leader.ir/langs/fa/index.php?p=letter (Persian)

Salutation:                           Your Excellency       

COPIES TO:

Director, Human Rights Headquarters of Iran

Mohammad Javad Larijani

Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh / Office of the Head of the Judiciary

Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri

Tehran 1316814737, Iran

Fax:                         +98 21 3390 4986 (please keep trying)

Email:                    info@dadgostary-tehran.ir (In the subject line write: FAO Javad Larijani)

Salutation:          Dear Mr Larijani

and to diplomatic representatives of Iran accredited to your country.