<body><div>An Iranian man, who was only 17 when he committed his crime, is set to be executed on Sunday Oct. 21 at Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison for the murder. Iran Human Rights, an organization dedicated to halting executions in country, has called on the international community to do everything in it's power to stop the execution of Mohammadreza Azizi. Execution of minors has been decried numerous times by the United Nations, most notably in their Universal Declaration Human Rights.“In addition to the illegality of issuing the death sentence for offences committed under 18 based on international laws and Iran's obligations, the judicial process of Mohammadreza Azizi has important flaws," said IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3551SU_0wDuzY9j00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3551SU_0wDuzY9j00" width="1200" height="779" ><figcaption>Hanging is the most common method of execution in Iran ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>One of Azizi's relatives told IHRNGO: “Mohammadreza was recently transferred from the juvenile ward to Ward 10 and his lawyer has told his family that he is scheduled to be executed on Sunday."“Mohammadreza pulled out a knife in self-defense after he was stabbed in the thigh. But the court dismissed self-defense and issued the death sentence. Two eyewitnesses that the defence had introduced weren’t even called to testify in court,” the source added.Iran is one of the only countries in thew world that still executes those who were minors at the time of their crime. That list of countries includes China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. So far this year Iran has already executed one minor, according to Iran Human Rights. Between 2016 and 2023 21 death sentences were commuted according to IHR. During that same period the country executed 31 juvenile offenders. The one minor executed so far this year was Mehdi Jahanpour on Sept. 16 in the same prison that Azizi is scheduled to be executed. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran is also a signatory to, explicitly states that “Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age.” The Islamic Penal Code which governs Iran's criminal laws, was was adopted in 2013 and states that the "age of criminal responsibility” for children is under Sharia Law. This means the age that someone is eligible for execution is over 9 for girls and over 15 for boys. Crimes that warrant a sentence of death under the code are “crimes against God” (such as apostasy) and “retribution crimes”(such as murder).</div></body>

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Young man faces execution for 'self-defense' killing committed at just 17

An Iranian man, who was only 17 when he committed his crime, is set to be executed on Sunday Oct. 21 at Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison for the murder. Iran Human Rights, an organization dedicated to halting executions in country, has called on the international community to do everything in it's power to stop the execution of Mohammadreza Azizi. Execution of minors has been decried numerous times by the United Nations, most notably in their Universal Declaration Human Rights.