HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER HANGING IN IRAN

Geneva, 6 December 2007-- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, expressed her grave concern over the execution of Makwan Moloudzadeh yesterday in a prison in Kermanshah Province in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Makwan Moloudzadeh was convicted of the rape of three boys seven years ago, when he was 13 years old. It was reported that the execution was carried out, despite his alleged victims withdrawing their accusations, and the Head of the Judiciary issuing an order to stay the execution pending a further judicial review of the sentence.

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) place a legal obligation on States Parties not to impose death penalty for those under the age of 18 years at the time of commission of crimes. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a party both to the ICCPR and to the CRC.

The High Commissioner calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to respect its international legal obligations and the strong international consensus against the execution of minors.