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Iran Hangs Man for Rape, Murder of Six-Year-Old Afghan Girl
Setayesh Qoreyshi was kidnapped in April 2016 in the town of Varamin and murdered by Amir Hossein Pourjafar, who was 17 year old at the time.
Gholam Hossein Esmaili, judiciary chief for Tehran province, said that the execution took place this morning after the family of the victim insisted on applying the penalty.
Amir Hossein had originally been scheduled to be executed in October, but the execution was postponed following the calls by United Nations rights officials and Amnesty International to stop the execution.
“The Iranian authorities must immediately halt the execution of this juvenile offender and annul the death sentence against him in compliance with their international obligations,” Asma Jahangir and Agnes Callamard, two UN special envoys, said in a joint statement on January 3.
Amnesty International also called on Tehran to halt putting Pourjafar to death, saying that Iran was a signatory to an international treaty banning the execution of people who commit crimes under the age of 18.
The death penalty is applied in Iran for crimes including rape, murder and drug trafficking, as well as apostasy.
It can apply for crimes committed by minors, but is not carried out until the convict reaches the legal age of 18.