UN Condemns Iran over Execution of Man for Crime He Committed when He was 16

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The United Nations (UN) has frowned at Iran for executing a man for a crime he allegedly committed when he was 16 years old.

The UN human rights office disclosed that Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee, aged 30, was put to death on Thursday, December 31, and was executed for a crime he allegedly committed as a teen amid reports he was convicted on a forced confession.

Amnesty International revealed that Rezaiee had been arrested since 2007 over the fatal stabbing of a man. Amnesty International had warned that carrying out the sentence would represent “an abhorrent assault on children’s rights”.

It started earlier this month that, “Imposing the death penalty on someone who was a child at the time of the crime is a serious violation of international human rights law, which absolutely prohibits the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by children.”

In reaction to the news of Rezaiee’s execution, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Michelle Bachelet, issued a statement saying she “strongly condemns” Iran’s action.

In the statement, AI spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani expressed dismay that the execution went ahead “despite interventions and engagement” by the OHCHR with Iran.

According to Amnesty, Rezaiee had been held for more than 12 years on death row. It says he was convicted after what it called a “grossly unfair trial” which used confessions extracted under torture.