Iran: Further Information on Death Penalty: Saeed Jazee
AI Index: MDE 13/102/2008
Further Information on UA 08/08 (MDE 13/006/2008, 09 January 2008) and follow-up (MDE 13/070/2008, 21 May 2008) - Death Penalty
IRAN Saeed Jazee (m), aged 21, juvenile offender
Saeed Jazee is no longer under threat of execution: he was pardoned on 24 July by the family of the man he was convicted of killing.
He had been convicted of the murder of a 22-year-old man, which took place in 2003, when he was 17 years old, and sentenced to qesas (retribution). The Supreme Court rejected his appeal, and the Head of the Judiciary had approved the death sentence.
According to Saeed Jazee’s lawyer, on 24 July the dead man's family announced that they had pardoned him, at a khounbas ("Stop the bloodshed") ceremony at their home, in the western province of Ilam. On 26 July the official pardon was recorded in a registry office in Ilam.
The killing apparently took place after Saeed Jazee had gone to a friend’s sandwich shop, helped himself to a sandwich and started eating it. The 22-year-old man, who had just started working at the shop and did not know Saeed, started arguing with him about the sandwich and attacked him with a kitchen knife. During the scuffle, the knife fell to the floor and Saeed picked it up at the same time as the man charged at him and was fatally wounded. Saeed Jazee and the other employees in the shop tried to help the wounded man but he died. During the trial, the shop's other employees stated that the killing had been accidental. Saeed Jazee has repeatedly stated that the killing was not intentional.
No further action is requested from the UA network. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.