The Iranian authorities’ execution of a young man on 31 December 2020, following a grossly unfair trial for a crime that took place when he was just 16 years old, has once again demonstrated their unrelenting assault on children’s rights and utter disregard for the rules of juvenile justice and the right to life.
The execution of Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee, which took place in Lakan prison in Rasht, Gilan province, lays bare Iran’s shameful record as one of the world’s most prolific executioners and one of the last counties in the world that continues to use the death penalty against juvenile offenders. It further exposes the authorities’ sheer contempt for their obligations under international law, which strictly prohibits the use of the death penalty against people who were under the age of 18 at the time of the crime.
