Posted on 10/20/2008 1:06:11 AM PDT by Schnucki
Iran announced a new judicial directive that bans the execution of child offenders for drug crimes but keeps capital punishment for those convicted of murder.
Hossein Zabhi, Deputy State Public Prosecutor, said the judges are still required under Iran's Islamic laws to issue death sentences for children convicted of murder if the victims' family refuses financial compensation.
Iran is the world's biggest executioner of juveniles. While a few other countries still execute minors - including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and Pakistan - Iran has accounted for more than two-thirds of such executions in the past three years, according to international rights groups.
"The new directive bans execution of under 18 criminals only if they have committed crimes related to narcotics that carry death penalty," Mr Zabhi said. "We can't deny a victim's family of the legal right to ask for Islamic qisas, or eye for eye retribution."
Iran's penal code follows Islamic law and the final say in capital punishment cases is for the victim's family, which can pardon the perpetrator or accept compensation in lieu of execution.
The new directive, initially issued more than a year ago but announced today, doesn't affect the 120 minors currently on death row. Mr Zabhi didn't say why it took more than a year to make such a directive public.
"Life imprisonment will be the punishment for juveniles convicted of first rate drug crimes," Mr Zabhi said, adding that no one under 18 has ever been executed for drug-related crimes.
Mohammad Mostafaei, a lawyer who has launched a campaign against execution of juveniles welcomed the new directive but said it was not sufficient.
"Human rights activists won't give up the fight until execution of under 18 people is abolished altogether in Iran," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailyexpress.co.uk ...
Wow. They are only going to execute teenagers over 18 now. It’s a positive revival. Those Iranians are really coming around, boy oh boy. I’ll bet the British are happy to hear this, since they just instituted Sharia Law in their own country. Oh, my bad, they don’t have the death penalty in the UK. What a conundrum. (/extreme sarcastic disgust)
It’s just an extension of Roe Vs Wade.
Limiting child executions, huh? I am glad to see that Iran has finally joined the ranks of civilized nations.
What a lovely feel good story. And this epitome of culture aims to spread its barbarism worldwide. And what’s more, the prophet Obama wants a no conditions fireside chat with these animals. Maybe he’ll talk them all into either gay marriages or abortion to save them the trouble of executing their children. He’ll fix it at the source.
There you go - the basis of this cancer's existence through the centuries. The religion on which O'Bomber was raised.
This is not a suitable forum to advertise your ignorance.
The British have not adopted Shariah. And unlike America, the British do not have a two-tier justice system. Immigrant hit-and-run drivers and Democrat politicians who refuse to pay taxes would be prosecuted in the UK - not so in America.
People got all excited the other day, thinking that the regime was actually going to stop executing people for crimes committed as kids.
Naive.
Now the other shoe has dropped. They’re not so excited anymore.
Are “honor killings” included?
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