News in brief
gooya news reporting from Radio Farda
Neusha Boghrati
Saturday Jan. 26,2008
Shireen Ebadi:

The death sentence for a child in Iran has been approved!

Mohammad Latif was 14 years old when in a street fight killed another teenager. He says that he didn't commit a premeditated crime but the judge of the case think he deserve to death penalty.
Shireen Ebadi: "According to the criminal law in Iran , the penal age for boys is 15 years and for girls is 9 years of age.Ane this is ,if a child at this age commit a crime will receive same sentence as an adult 40 years of age.My client Mohamad Latif two years ago when he was not yet 15 years old is sentenced to death."
She said : Unfortunately the death penalty has been confirmed. "I have asked for appeal which has been rejected and at present the sentence for its final approval is in the hand of Ayatollah Shahrudi the head of the judiciary power."
She requested from him because of the situation of the case and because Iran is a country that have signed the international convention on the rights of the child to prevent the death of a child who was not even 15 when he commited the crime. She said the exact date for executing the death penalty is not known . She added: I have sent this file to Unicef and other international body to stop the proceeding.
Background:
At present many childeren under the age of 18 are on death row. Amnesty International has announced that in the past 17 years at least 24 childeren who were below 18 years of age has been executed in Iran.

Link to this news:
http://news.gooya.com/politics/archives/2008/01/067361.php