Stop child executions
Dear friend,
Activists perform as prisoners hanged to death during a protest against capital punishment ©AFP It’s really very simple. Sentencing a child to death is wrong, and has no place in 21st century justice anywhere in the world.
It was wrong to kill Delara Darabi on May 1 this year. The day before the young Iranian woman was strung up by a rope around her neck, the painter and poet reportedly told her mother, “If I come out of prison, I want to continue my education. One of the judges promised that I would be pardoned…Mother, I am innocent.”
Take a stand now and tell Iran, along with other countries that have executed children in the last year, that this must stop.
Delara Darabi was just 17 years old when she allegedly murdered her father’s cousin. She originally pleaded guilty, then recanted; stating her older boyfriend committed the crime. She said she took the blame after he promised her, as a juvenile offender, she could not be executed.
Now we will never know the full extent of Delara’s guilt or innocence. Despite executing more children than any other country, Iran is one of 193 nations to have legally ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which expressly forbids capital punishment for offenders below eighteen years of age.
So as we mark the 20th anniversary of this treaty and World Day Against the Death penalty (10 October), we stand united in opposition to this crime against humanity – particularly as applied to children. The death penalty - once considered the law of the land from London to Melbourne - is ultimately destined to history as surely as slavery and apartheid. Be part of our call: add your name now.
We know that Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan have all executed children within the last year. It may seem like these countries are beyond our reach – yet we have already made a difference. Human rights defenders both inside and outside their borders have repeatedly convinced authorities to re-examine cases or order retrials and, just five days ago, Iranian child offender Abbas Hosseini was granted a stay of execution.
Every voice, every name, counts. For Delara, for Abbas, and for every child's human rights – please add yours now.
With hope,
Rose Kulak
Campaign Coordinator
Amnesty International Australia
|
