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Hossein Shahbazi
Amnesty International warned about the imminent execution of an Iranian youth in relation to a crime that took place when he was just 17 years old.
The international rights group said Wednesday that Hossein Shahbazi's trial was grossly unfair and his torture-tainted "confessions" were used against him.
“Iranian authorities have scheduled his execution for Sunday May 28, in violation of the absolute prohibition on the use of the death penalty against people who were children [under 18] at the time of the offence for which they have been convicted,” stated Amnesty.
His four previously scheduled executions were postponed following public outcries.
Hossein Shahbazi was arrested in December 2018 and held at a detention facility run by the investigation unit of Iran's police (Agahi) in Shiraz for eleven days without access to a lawyer or family.
During this time, interrogators tortured him and treated him terribly. After an unfair trial in Fars province in which his forced "confessions" were used as evidence against him, a criminal court convicted him of murder and sentenced him to death on 13 January 2020.
His conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court on 16 June 2020 and his request for a judicial review of his case in 2021 was rejected by the Supreme Court.
Amnesty urged Iran to immediately halt the scheduled execution of Hossein Shahbazi, quash both his conviction and death sentence, and grant him a fair retrial in full compliance with international law and the principles of juvenile justice, excluding coerced “confessions”, and without resorting to the death penalty.
Amid mounting criticism from global leaders and rights activists, Iran continues its execution spree, hanging over 110 people in the last month
