From correspondents in Tehran | August 27, 2008
IRAN has hanged a man aged 19 who was arrested for a murder he committed when he was 15. It is the second such case this month.
Behnam Zarei was arrested at the age of 15 on charges of murder, the daily Etemad-e Melli reported.
He was hanged in Shiraz prison on Tuesday, without the knowledge of his lawyer and family, the newspaper said.
Major human rights groups appealed to Iran in July to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes by juveniles and to commute sentences of nearly 140 youths known to be on death row.
Earlier this month a 20-year-old man was hanged in central Iran for a murder he also committed when he was 15.
Iran has executed at least 30 juvenile criminals since 1990, including seven in 2007, according to the groups. Saudi Arabia and Yemen have also executed juveniles.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia law, practised since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Amnesty International in April said Iran executed at least 317 people last year, trailing only China which carried out 470 death sentences.
IRAN has hanged a man aged 19 who was arrested for a murder he committed when he was 15. It is the second such case this month.
Behnam Zarei was arrested at the age of 15 on charges of murder, the daily Etemad-e Melli reported.
He was hanged in Shiraz prison on Tuesday, without the knowledge of his lawyer and family, the newspaper said.
Major human rights groups appealed to Iran in July to stop imposing the death penalty for crimes by juveniles and to commute sentences of nearly 140 youths known to be on death row.
Earlier this month a 20-year-old man was hanged in central Iran for a murder he also committed when he was 15.
Iran has executed at least 30 juvenile criminals since 1990, including seven in 2007, according to the groups. Saudi Arabia and Yemen have also executed juveniles.
Murder, adultery, rape, armed robbery, apostasy and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under Iran's sharia law, practised since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Amnesty International in April said Iran executed at least 317 people last year, trailing only China which carried out 470 death sentences.
Source: The Australian
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