NCRI – The execution of Behnoud Shojaee by Mullahs in Iran for an alleged crime committed when he was still a minor drew criticism Tuesday from the United Nations human rights chief in Geneva. She also said the authorities should review death penalties handed down to participants in the recent anti-government protests in Iran.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she is "deeply dismayed" by the hanging Sunday of Behnoud Shojaee. She called on Iranian regime to “end execution of juvenile offenders once and for all.”
“The juvenile death penalty is a negation of the essential principles of juvenile justice accepted by all States, including Iran,” said separately Philip Alston, the UN expert on executions.
Both UN officials said they had been given assurances this summer than the death penalty would not be carried out.
She also expressed concern about reports that three people have been sentenced to death in Iran for their involvement in anti-government protests earlier this year. She said there were "major concerns about the way the recent trials of opposition activists were conducted."
