Mohammadreza Haddadi, 18 Years on Death Row for a Crime He Did NOT Commit at 15

Hossein Ahmadi-Niaz, one of Mohammadreza Haddadi's lawyers, told IHR: “The forensic doctor in his scientific examination and according to the forensic medical criteria confirmed that this juvenile offender had not reached intellectual maturity at the time of his arrest and his confession has no legal and sharia validity according to Article 91 of the Islamic Penal Code. Nevertheless, while one of the judges ruled that he was innocent, the other two judges, citing the judge's knowledge and without regard to the forensic scientific report, re-sentenced Haddadi to qisas (retribution in kind), which is currently under review by the Supreme Court according to Article 474 of the Criminal Procedure Code. On the other hand, based on Article 477 of the abovementioned law and citing the principle of 'dar’*, the Fars province judiciary are now investigating whether the sentence is in breach of Sharia law.”

One of Mohammadreza Haddadi’s relatives told IHR: “He has spent about 18 years in prison while someone else was responsible for the murder and during in those 18 years, he has contracted various diseases that have remained untreated. Unfortunately, the judicial authorities do not pay any attention to the situation of Mohammadreza and the publication of false reports and denials that ensue, cover up the bitter truth of Haddadi’s life from the public.”

Mohammadreza Haddadi was born on 17 March 1988 and has been in prison since 2002. He is accused of committing murder while stealing a car in Kazerun, along with three other people when he was aged 15.

Haddadi had initially pleaded guilty but later explained that his two co-defendants had coerced him by promising him money to take the rap for murder telling him that he would not receive the death penalty as he was underage.

Iran is one of the few countries in the world that still carries out the death penalty for juvenile offenders. However, Article 91 of the new Islamic Penal Code, passed in 2013, grants judges the power to not issue death sentences to children who did not know and comprehend the nature of the crime or its sanctity.

According to Iran Human Rights’ annual report, in 2019, at least four children were executed in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Islamic Republic is a party to.

Given the security state and repression of civil society activists and the limited contact with prisoners, it is likely that the number of juvenile executions will be much higher than recorded.

* In Sharia law, the sentence should not be carried out when there is a degree of doubt as to defendant’s guilt in offences mandated by God, ie. had/hodood.