Stop Child Executions Campaign - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Stop Child Executions is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

co-founded by Nazanin Afshin-Jam

Nazanin Afshin-Jam

Nazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...

that aims to put an end to executions of minors in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. The organization campaigns to raise awareness about the issue and to put pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, both in Iran and internationally. SCE is a follow-up effort to the successful campaign and petition that helped save the life of Nazanin Fatehi from execution. Preparation activities in support of this campaign commenced after release of nazanin Fatehi from prison and after more than 350,000 signatures were signed worldwide.

Stop Child Execution has also formed a petition which can be found on their website at www.stopchildexecutions.com. Campaign also has a news and update blog at scenews.blog.com/.

Background information

As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...

(ICCPR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Convention on the Rights of the Child

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...

(CRC), the government of Iran has undertaken not to execute anyone for an offense committed when they were under the age of 18. Article 6.5 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) declares: “Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age” and the article 37(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides that: “Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offenses committed by persons below eighteen years of age”.

In January 2005, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors states' compliance with the CRC, urged Iran to immediately stay all executions of child offenders and to abolish the use of the death penalty in such cases. In the summer of 2006, the Iranian Parliament reportedly passed a bill establishing special courts for children and adolescents. However, it has not yet been approved by the Council of Guardians, which supervises Iran's legislation to ensure conformity with Islamic principles. During the past four years, the Iranian authorities have reportedly been considering legislation to ban the death penalty for juvenile offenders. Recent comments by a judiciary spokesperson indicates that the proposed law would only prohibit the death penalty for certain crimes, and not all crimes committed by children.

Since 1990 at least 34 executions of juvenile offenders in Iran has been recorded (26 since 2005).

When Stop Child Executions was initially formed, there were only 21 known names but as of October 3, 2008 SCE has recorded at least 140 juvenile offenders on death row in Iran, 3 in Saudi Arabia, 3 in Sudan and 1 in Yemen. As of October 2008 6 juveniles are reported to have been executed in Iran to date in 2008. SCE list of juveniles on execution row
http://scenews.blog.com/1963613/http://scenews.blog.com/1934193/http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92&Itemid=65 http://scenews.blog.com/1981191/http://www.emadbaghi.com/archives/Issue_of_Executions.doc http://www.changethis.com/pdfdl/1.04.StopExecutions.pdf

In October 2008 Stop Child Execution issued a comprehensive list of solutions to end juvenile executions in Iran. http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=82

In June 2009, Stop Child Executions issued a report on child executions in Iran. From cradle to coffin: report on child executions in Iran

Supporters of the Stop Child Executions petition

Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Nazanin Afshin-Jam is a Persian Human Rights Activist, , President and Co-Founder of Stop Child Executions, Singer, Songwriter, model, actress, pilot, former Miss World Canada and Miss World 1st runner-up...

, Co-founder (President), Miss World Canada 2003, artist and human rights advocate
David Etebari, Co-founder, human rights advocate
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...

, Iranian Nobel Prize Laureate 2003, Lawyer and human rights advocate
Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji
Irshad Manji is a Canadian author, journalist and an advocate of "reform and progressive" interpretation of Islam. Manji is director of the Moral Courage Project at the Robert F...

Muslim author activist
Mina Ahadi
Mina Ahadi
Mina Ahadi is an Austrian human rights activist. As an Iranian born Communist political activist she is a current member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran....

, Head of the International Committee Against Executions
Mehrangiz Kar
Mehrangiz Kar
Mehrangiz Kar is a prominent Iranian lawyer, human right activist and author of the book Crossing the Red Line, as well as many articles.Mehrangiz Kar is a celebrated activist of women's rights in Iran....

Writer, Human Rights Advocate
Mohammad Mostafaei, Attorney for Nazanin Fatehi and Reza Alinejad
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Attorney for Sina Paymard and Soghra Najafpour
Shadi Sadr, Attorney for Nazanin Fatehi and woman right activist
Abdolsamad Khoramshahi, Attorney for Delara Darabi
Delara Darabi
Delara Darabi was an Iranian Gilaki female, who was sentenced to death by hanging when she was only 16 years old. She was convicted of murdering her father's female cousin in 2003...
Fatemeh Haghighatjou
Fatemeh Haghighatjou
Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, also spelled Haghighatjou and Haqiqatju is a reformist and a former member of the Iranian Parliament....

, Iranian former Member of Parliament, Human Rights advocate
Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi is the current president and founder of the National Iranian American Council, and author of the 2007 book, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States.-Biography:...

, President of the National Iranian American Council
National Iranian American Council
The National Iranian American Council is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization "dedicated to advancing the interests of the Iranian-American community." Trita Parsi is the organization's current president and founder.-Formation:...

, Author
Maz Jobrani
Maz Jobrani
Maziar “Maz” Jobrani is an Iranian-born American comedian who is part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in numerous films, television shows, including Better Off Ted, on radio and in comedy clubs...

, Actor - Comedian
Dariush Kadivar, Iranian journalist, Film Historian, Writer
Amir-Abbas Fakhravar, Former political prisoner
Nazanin Fatehi, Former minor on death row in Iran
Ali Alinejad, Brother of Reza Alinejad: a minor on death row
Ghazal Darabi, Sister of Delara Darabi: a minor on death row
Save the Children
Save the Children
Save the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...

Sweden
Donna and Graham Greene, Australian Music Artists
Tim Bowles
Tim Bowles
Timothy Bowles is an American attorney who has worked for the Church of Scientology and its related organizations for the majority of his career....

, Director of Youth for Human Rights International
James C. McIntosh, Founder: The National Youth Orchestra of Canada
Tarek Fatah, Canada, Founder of Muslim Canadian Congress / activist
Neda Shahidyazdani, USA Human Rights Activist

Politicians and Members of Parliaments

On February 27, 2007 more than 34 members of European Parliament signed a resolution to Stop Child Executions in Iran, http://scenews.blog.com/1638812/.
Additionally, this is a list of world politicians who have signed the Petition:

Jason Kenney
Jason Kenney
Jason T. Kenney, PC, MP is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....

, Canadian Minister of Parliament for Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...

, Canada member of Parliament
May Hansen
May Hansen
May Hansen is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party.Born in Fredrikstad, Hansen was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Østfold in 2001, and has been re-elected on one occasion....

, Norway Member of parliament
Feleknas Uca
Feleknas Uca
Feleknas Uca is a German Die Linke politician of Kurdish ancestry. From 1999 to 2009 she was member of the European Parliament from Germany...

, European Parliament member
Francois Nicoullaud Former ambassador of France to Iran and author
Jean-Marcel Cremona, secretary general of the Lebertarian party of France
Peter Hulme Cross, member of the London Assembly
David Kilgour
David Kilgour
David Kilgour, PC is a former Canadian politician.Kilgour graduated from the University of Manitoba in economics in 1962 and the University of Toronto law school in 1966. From crown attorney in northern Alberta to Canadian Cabinet minister, Kilgour ended his 27 year tenure in the Canadian House of...

Former Canadian Secretary of State (Africa and Latin America)
102 of the 349 Members of the Swedish Parliament

External links

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Background information

Supporters of the Stop Child Executions petition

Politicians and Members of Parliaments

See also

External links