Please dedicate October 11th to Behnoud Shojaee. Two years ago today, the Iranian authorities sent Behnoud Shojaee, 21, to the gallows for the sixth time and executed him. It was a horrific day for human rights activists and concerned citizens. Do you remember the day Behnoud Shojaee was killed?
Behnoud Shojaee committed murder when he was 17. He was executed on Sunday October 11, 2009 at 5:30am because the family of the victim did not withdraw the complaint. According to section 37 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child, it is forbidden to convict or execute anyone under 18 years of age. The Islamic parliament signed the convention in 2000. It was also approved by the Guardian Council. According to Section 9 of the Civil Rights, this convention is law, thus it is obligatory to abide by it. However, Iran proceeds to ignore the law and continues to give death sentences to adolescents.
