Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Mojtaba Amiri

About

Age: 17
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: October 13, 2004
Location of Killing: Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Rape; Murder
Age at time of alleged offense: 17

About this Case

He was the “Mojtaba” sought for questioning in a case in Shiraz in 2004.  He was 17.

The news of the execution of Mr. Mojtaba Amiri and another person was published on the websites of the Keyhan newspaper on both June 27 and October 14, 2004, as well as the Iran newspaper on June 22, and finally the Sharq newspaper on October 14, 2004.

According to the Keyhan newspaper, a five-year old boy was missing in the Torkan area of Shiraz in February, 2004. After the family of the missing boy went to police, his body was found in a nearby wilderness area. Mr. Amiri's case was related to this incident and he was only 17 years old at the time.

International laws have strictly prohibited capital punishment against those who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing the crime. As a party to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran has the obligation to avoid capital punishment for an offence committed before the age of eighteen.

Arrest and detention

According to the Keyhan newspaper, after discovering the body, Shiraz police began an extensive investigation to identify the perpetrators of the crime. In this regard, they arrested several suspects including two young men. One was named Mojtaba, 17, and the other Aziz, 22. The report does not mention the reason for this suspicion.

Trial

According to the media reports, the defendants were tried in Branch 12 of the public court of Shiraz.

Charges

The Keyhan newspaper quotes the Public Prosecutor of Shiraz stating the charges against the defendants were "kidnapping, murder, and rape."

The validity of the criminal charges brought against these defendants cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial. International human rights organizations have drawn attention to reports indicating that the Islamic Republic’s authorities have brought trumped-up charges against their political opponents including drug trafficking, sexual, and other criminal offences. Then they are executed. Each year, Iranian authorities sentence hundreds of alleged common criminals to death, following judicial processes that fail to meet international standards. The exact number of people who have been convicted based on trumped-up charges is unknown.

Evidence of guilt

The evidence against the two defendants was their "confessions". According to the Keyhan newspaper, these two young men confessed to the murder of the five-year- old boy after hours of interrogation. The Sharq newspaper reports that the defendants first denied committing the crime. But, after they were transferred to the Shiraz Police station, they finally confessed that on his birthday, when the boy went outside his house to buy something, they took him to an animal farm nearby pretending to show him a white lamb. But, since he resisted, they injured him with broken glass and beat him in the face. Then, they raped him. To avoid being identified, they cut his throat with the broken glass and escaped.

Defense

No information is available on the defendant's defense. According to the Iran newspaper, they expressed regretted their actions.

Judgment

The court condemned these two defendants to death and the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. They were hanged in public in Sharifabad Square in Shiraz on October 13, 2004.

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