Three Months on, Saman Naseem’s Fate Still Hung in Suspense
The past three months have been a living nightmare for Saman Naseem’s family. Since the scheduling of his execution on 19 February sparked an international outcry, the authorities have transferred him to an undisclosed location and kept his family in the dark as to his whereabouts and whether or not he is even still alive.
Saman Naseem was 17 years old when he was arrested for taking up arms against the state and membership of an armed opposition group. He has described how he was subjected to torture and other-ill-treatment to “confess”. He was sentenced to death, even though Iran has ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights treaties which strictly prohibit the execution of persons who were below the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crime.
In February, thousands of you called on the Iranian authorities to halt his execution and give him with a fair retrial, without resorting to the death penalty.
Three months on, the Iranian authorities continue to impose an information blackout about Saman Naseem, putting him at risk of torture and secret execution. His family are desperate to know what has happened to him. His lawyer has yet to receive a response to his judicial review application.
Join us and tell the Iranian authorities to stop Saman Naseem’s execution, and to urgently establish the truth about his fate, legal state and whereabouts. Help us #SaveSaman.
Urge Iran’s Head of Judiciary, Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, to ensure that the authorities stop Saman Naseem’s execution, establish the truth about his whereabouts and conduct a judicial review of his case.
Your Excellency,
I am deeply concerned that Kurdish juvenile offender Saman Naseem has been subjected to enforced disappearance since 18 February 2015. Saman Naseem was scheduled to be executed on 19 February for security-related offences he was accused of committing while under the age of 18, following a grossly unfair trial that used evidence obtained under torture.
I am appalled that in the past several months, the Iranian authorities have denied Saman Naseem’s family any concrete information about his fate and whereabouts, and placed him at risk of secret execution, torture and other ill-treatment.
I respectfully remind you that enforced disappearance is a serious human rights violation and a crime under international law, victimising both the person who is forcibly disappeared and his family, who are left agonising over their loved one’s fate.
I further remind you that international human rights conventions ratified by Iran strictly prohibit the use of the death penalty against those convicted of crimes committed when they were below 18 years of age.
I therefore urge you to ensure that the authorities:
- Halt Saman Naseem’s execution and quash his death sentence;
- Establish the truth about his fate and whereabouts; and
- Ensure a judicial review of his case is promptly conducted.
Yours sincerely