Iran may limit execution of minors
AFP
18-Feb-2009 (one comment)

Iran's judiciary said on Tuesday it has drawn up a bill which aims to ease punishments for minor offenders and make it harder for the courts to sentence children to death for murder.

Minors who have committed murder will not be hanged "if they do not understand the nature of the crime they have committed or there is a doubt about their maturity and insight," judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi told reporters.

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SCE Campaign

cautious welcome

by SCE Campaign on

Stop Child Executions welcomes the news reported today in AFP regarding steps to improve punishment for juvenile offenders and hopes the Iranian Majiles and the Council of Guardians quickly pass the made proposals. 

It was only a few months ago, when Iran's representative at the UN General Assembly announced an end to child executions, only to retract the statement days later clarifying that it appied only to drug traffickers. Stop Child Executions, therefore, remains cautious at the recent news and hopes that this time the Islamic Republic of Iran keep to their word.