FREEDOM FOR IRAN: STOP MURDERING CHILDREN IRAN

INTRODUCTION

Iran has the most appalling human rights record in the World. So far this year Iran has executed 3 (yes THREE) juveniles, and murdered at least seven in 2008. In February, the United Nations General Assembly called on Iran to abolish the execution of persons who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offense. Needless to say, the Iranian Coup Regime ignored the United Nations.

And yet, while I'm talking about the UN, when Canada tried to get through a draft Resolution condemning Iran's appalling human rights abuses just last week, some shameful countries abstained (not Ireland, Ireland voted in favour but the machine MALFUNCTIONED which gives one great confidence in the great United Nations!!) and some, to my horror, voted against. Thanks Canada and those countries who voted in favour of this draft Resolution http://nedaforafreeiran.org/g-assembly.pdf. Sadly it didn't go through.

This is the United Nation's Universal Declaration on Human Rights http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/60UDHRIntroduction.aspx -- not much good for anyone if countries like Iran choose to just ignore those parts they think don't apply to them!

Just last night I was reading on Facebook the story of a boy, Mohammad-Reza Haddadid, who has been unjustly convicted of a crime he did not commit. This child has been imprisoned since the age of 15 in Shiraz. For the past 7 years he has been tortured, beaten for 12 hours continuously (to make him confess to this crime), and now awaits execution at the age of 22. Mohammad-Reza is not alone. A link to the Stop Childhood Executions Facebook story is given below.

According to Stop Childhood Executions and Amnesty International, there are over 130 young people on death-row in Iran awaiting execution for so called crimes. Crimes ranging from what I would call at worst Manslaughter, to homosexuality, which is no crime at all in most countries in the World.

In 2009 :

Delara Darabi. Delara was just 22 years when she was executed this May 22nd in the prison yard of a Northern Iranian City called Rasht. She didn't kill anyone, her 19 year old boyfriend did, during a break-in that went wrong. But Delara took the blame, thinking that Iran would keep to the promises it had made to the World that it would not execute juveniles who had committed murder whilst under the age of 18. Iran broke another International (and Iranian) law that morning, when they murdered this child - they didn't let her lawyer know, probably because it knew the international condemnation, and indeed the uproar it would cause within the Country itself. It was 7am that morning when Delara phoned home : "I see the hangman's noose in front of me Mom", she cried. "They are going to execute me. Please save me". Her mother couldn't save Delara, no-one could. She died.
Behnoud Shohja. I waited one Sunday at Dawn, with thousands of others, hoping and praying that Behnoud would be spared the hangman's noose! But, on Sunday 19 October 2009, (NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!) Behnoud went to the hangman's noose and died. In face, his victim's mother was said to have pushed the chair from under him, wearing a smile on her face, because his family were unable to come up with the diyya (blood money) she had demanded.
Safar Angooti. Again the World watched all night but, this time Safar was spared. Only for 30 days whilst his family was given time to raise blood money demanded by his victim's family. Lawyer Mohamad Mostafaei (see below), has set an international campaign to try raise money to help his clients.

DIYYA (BLOODY MONEY)

The payment of blood money to the victims of families is standard under Islamic Law. It is not a practice that I agree with BUT it is common-place in Iran. However, some of the victims' families seem to me to be enjoying the power they hold and this is being encouraged, if not used as yet another form of intimidation and oppression against the people of the Country! The rule is that, if a victim's family agrees that blood-money paid is sufficient to satisfy them, they can in turn agree that someone is not executed.

Behnoud's victim's mother had this opportunity, and yet - after seeming previously to agree - she reportedly smiled and pushed the chair from under this young man's feet, whilst his mother and sister looked on in horror and tears. He is gone now, but his memory lives on, as does the memory of all the children murdered by the barbaric Regime.

Two boys, Amir Khaleghi and Mostafa Naghdi, were on death row and were released in late October 2009, following the payment of blood-money raised through their lawyer, Mohamad Mostafaei. Mr Mostafei, who works tirelessly on behalf of most of these kids, has an account set up to raise money from international sources. Link given below.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Sign petitions. Many people ask whether signing petitions works. I believe that it can do no harm and sign each and every one that I come across. Iran is the one of the worst countries in the World for executing people, and by far the worst for child executions. Why wait and stand back, waiting for someone else to help, when it might take you 5 minutes to sign a petition!!

Petitions are available on Amnesty and Stop Child Execution websites and are often shared on facebook.
All petition sites give links to make sending emails to appropriate Regime authorities, both inside and outside Iran, seeking pardons for these young people. They also give information on the appropriate form of address to use when writing to each person.
Become involved in this cause. Tell your Member of Parliament/Congressman/Senator that you are concerned about children being executed in Iran. Make a noise, MAKE A HUGE NOISE, and demand that he/she make a noise also, on your behalf.
As British philosopher Edmund Burke once said :