[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 26



IRAN:

Iran executes man who raped 17 children


An Iranian firing squad on Saturday executed a man who raped 17 children,
the Fars news agency reported, in a rare use of this method of capital
punishment which is usually carried out by hanging.

The man, identified as Reza Sharifi, was executed in the central city of
Mobarakeh in Isfahan province for raping the children aged between seven
and 11, the report said.

He preyed upon elementary school pupils by deceiving them and saying he
would take them home. Then he would take his victims into nearby gardens
and rape them before leaving them on the streets.

Iran has now put to death 25 convicts this year, according to media
reports. At least 298 people were executed in 2007, according to an AFP
count.

The number of executions soared last year amid a campaign which the
authorities said was aimed at improving security in society, and was
sharply up on 2006 figures when Amnesty International recorded 177
executions.

Iran currently makes more use of the death penalty than any other country
apart from China. Capital offences in the Islamic republic include murder,
rape, armed robbery, serious drug trafficking and adultery.

Human rights groups have accused Iran of excessive resort to the death
penalty, but the authorities say capital punishment is an effective
deterrent that is used only after an exhaustive judicial process.

(source: Agence France Presse)





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EU Presidency expresses concern on medieval executions in Iran


In a declaration by the Presidency on January 25, the EU expresses concern
over the executions in Iran and barbaric methods used to carry out death
sentences.

The declaration denounced death sentences for juvenile offenders which are
in total contravention of international norms and standards.

"The EU is also deeply concerned by methods of execution used in Iran
which fall below international standards for use of the death penalty and
violate Iran's international human rights commitments (such as stoning).
In this regard the EU is concerned that two men have been sentenced to
death in Shiraz and face imminent execution by being 'thrown from a
height' or a cliff. The EU calls on Iran to halt these executions and make
a commitment not to apply such sentences in the future," the declaration
stated.

The declaration which was also supported by 14 Candidate Countries to join
the 27-nation European block reiterated, "The EU condemns the increasing
recourse to death sentences and executions in the Islamic Republic of
Iran," and "urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to abolish the death
penalty in line with the resolution endorsed on 18 December 2007 by the
United Nations General Assembly, on a moratorium on the use of the death
penalty."

In a statement on January 20, the Iranian Resistance's President-elect,
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, strongly condemned escalation of barbaric violations
of human rights in Iran, particularly the use of most inhuman methods of
punishments and executions. In her statement she called on international
and competent bodies not to keep silence over the unprecedented level of
rights abuses by the mullahs' regime, and called it a crucial test for
these bodies in circumstances where human rights and peace should be
safeguarded.

(source: Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance
of Iran)