A juvenile offender, aged under 18 at the time of his alleged crime, was sentenced to 5 years behind bars and ordered to pay blood money following an unfair trial over the fatal beating of a young man during a fight between him and another man.
“I realized the death sentence is reserved for murder and understood its meaning when I was in juvenile detention center. I do not, however, understand the nature of the crime I committed,” this juvenile offender said.
Children can and do commit terrible crimes. When they do, they should be held accountable, but in a manner that reflects their special capacity. However, in Iran the punishment is all too often no different from adults.
