considered the ongoing executions of child offenders in the Islamic Republic of Iran as
“conclusive proof of the failure of the 2013 amendments to stop the execution of individuals
sentenced to death as children”.11 In 2019, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran found that the aforementioned assessment of the mental
development of the accused at the time of the offence was “arbitrary and inconsistent, and at the
sole discretion of the judge, who can choose whether to seek medical advice or not”.12
Over the years, several executions of child offenders have been commuted in Iran, however,
these reports are rare.13
In the January 2020 report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran wrote that “he continues to monitor the situation of child offenders on death
row, and has received information that there are at present at least 100 individuals who have
been sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were under 18 years of age”.14
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not engaged in a comprehensive process to
commute or quash the death sentences that were issued to persons currently on death row
regarding crimes committed when the person was under the age of 18 years.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
11
See OHCHR News, www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21547&LangID=E
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2019,
https://undocs.org/Home/Mobile?FinalSymbol=A%2FHRC%2F40%2F67&Language=E&DeviceType=Desktop
13
For more, please see: Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran https://www.iranrights.org/projects/omidmap
14
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, January 2020,
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IR/Report_of_the_Special_Rapporteur_on_the_situation_of_human_rights_in_the_
Islamic_Republic_of_IranA4361.pdf
12
3