Mohammad Reza Haddadi Remains in Danger of Execution

Iran Human Rights (May 31 2016): Hossein Ahmadiniaz, the lawyer for Mohammad Reza Haddadi, has reportedly announced that the execution order for his client has been stopped pending a judicial review. However, prison officials have told Mohammad's father that his son's execution order has been stopped temporarily and will be carried out two days from now.

According to close sources, Mohammad Reza Haddadi's execution was scheduled to be carried out early morning on Tuesday May 31st. "I went to see the plaintiffs on my son's case file and begged them to stop his execution. They said they will delay his execution for two days. I was informed by the prison officials that Mohammad's execution will be carried out two days from now," says Mohammad's father to Iran Human Rights.

Mohammad Reza Haddadi was born in 1987 and has been imprisoned since 2002. He along with two older boys, who were both reportedly over the age of 18, were arrested by Iranian authorities for allegedly stealing a car and murdering a man. Mohammad had initially confessed to the murder, but retracted his confession in court, claiming that he only accepted responsibility for the murder because his two co-defendants had offered to give his family money and also because they convinced him that he would not be sentenced to death since he was under the age of 18 at the time of the alleged offense. 

Due to the conflicting information regarding the fate of Mohammad Reza Haddadi, Iran Human Rights calls on the international community to continue drawing attention to his case until there is official confirmation on his situation. "As long as there is no official announcement made on his case by Iranian authorities, Mohammad Reza Haddadi remains in imminent danger of execution. We urge the international community to call on Iranian authorities to quash the death sentences for more than 160 juvenile offenders in Iranian prisons," says Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson for Iran Human Rights.