Kurdish Prisoner Executed in Iran After Arrest at Age 17

Hengaw: Saturday, May 18, 2024

The death sentence of Ramin Saadat, a Kurdish prisoner from Miandoab who was arrested on the charge of premeditated murder at the age of 17, has been carried out in the central prison of this city.

According to a report received by the Hangaw Organization for Human Rights, on Saturday, May 18, 2024, the death sentence of Ramin Saadat, 20, from the “Dowltabad” (Shamat) village in Miandab, West Azerbaijan (Urmia) province, was carried out in the central prison of this city. He was sentenced to death when he was under the age of 18. 

Informed sources stated that this prisoner, was arrested on the charge of premeditated murder four years ago, on Monday, December 16, 2020, and was later sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Miandoab.

The execution of this young Kurdish prisoner has not yet been reported by Iranian state media or outlets affiliated with the judiciary.

In 2023, according to the Statistics and Documents Center of Hengaw, at least five juvenile offenders were executed in various prisons across Iran, including two in Khorramabad and others in Chabahar, Sabzevar, Karaj. These prisoners were all under the age of 18 at the time of their sentencing, with one, Hamid Azeri, being only 17 years old at the time of his execution.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed and ratified by many countries, explicitly guarantees the basic rights of children and prohibits the use of harsh or cruel punishments, including the death penalty for individuals under the age of 18. However, juvenile offenders in Iranian prisons continue to face execution.