Reports indicate Iran’s IRGC is filing newly fabricated charges against Saman Naseem, a Kurdish Iranian, accusing him of killing five IRGC members after his death sentence was commuted to five years behind bars in an appeal court.
Saman Naseem was sentenced to death in April 2013 in Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province, in connection with his alleged membership of a Kurdish armed opposition group and taking part in armed activities against the Revolutionary Guard. He was 17 at the time of the alleged crimes.
The lawyer of this political prisoner had earlier announced that on January 25, 2018, his death sentence was annuled and commuted to five years in prison and since he has endured more than six years behind bars, he most likly will be released soon.
Many human rights organisations have condemned the Iranian authorities for using death penalty against juvenile offenders namely Saman Naseem.
During its first Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human rights Council in 2010 Iran accepted a recommendation to “consider the abolition of juvenile executions” which are explicitly prohibited under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
However, the Iranian authorities have continued to carry out executions of juvenile offenders. They have also now rejected recommendations made during the country’s second UPR calling on them to halt the implementation of death sentences for those under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes.
