Salar Shadizadi is at imminent risk of execution as a result of murder allegedly committed when he was just 15-year-old as Amnesty International said.

The Youth offender arrested on Feb 2007 and convicted to death for murder under the Islamic Penal Code of Qisas (retribution-in-kind) at Branch 11 of the Criminal Court in December that year, and the verdict was upheld by Branch 37 of the Supreme Court three months later as rights group declared.

Amnesty International has acknowledged that "the authorities halted the capital punishment at the last minute and allowed Mr. Shadizadi to submit his request for judicial review under Article 91 of Iran's 2013 Penal Code, which gives judges the discretion not to impose the death penalty if they determine that a juvenile offender did not understand the nature of the crime or its consequences, or if there are doubts about the offender "mental growth and maturity".

The Human Rights organization added, "Later that year, Branch 13 of Iran's Supreme Court confirmed the request for judicial review and sent the case back to the court of first instance to examine the issue of his maturity at the time of the crime. The court of first instance referred Mr. Shadizadi to Iran's Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) for psychological examination.

But, the LMO figured out that "there is no evidence to conclude that he was insane at the time of the crime but examining his mental growth seven years after the event is impossible." Based on this finding, Branch 13 of the Supreme Court upheld the original death sentence. In its reasoning, the Supreme Court stated:"presumptively, mental maturity is present after children reach the age of maturity [which is 15 for boys and nine for girls] and the rebuttal of this presumption requires proof which has not been established in this case."

Hereof, Amnesty International askshalting the death penalty by writing immediately in Persian, English or your own language:

- Urging the Iranian authorities to immediately halt the execution of Salar Shadizadi and commute without delay his death sentence to a term of imprisonment;

- Reminding them that Iran has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which strictly prohibit the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by persons below 18 years of age.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 7 SEPTEMBER 2015 TO:

Leader of the Islamic Republic

Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei

The Office of the Supreme Leader

Islamic Republic Street- End of Shahid

Keshvar Doust Street

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Email:[email protected]

Twitter: @khamenei_ir

Salutation: Your Excellency

Head of the Judiciary

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani

c/o Public Relations Office

Number 4, 2 Azizi Street intersection

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Salutation: Your Excellency

And copies to:

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Hassan Rouhani

The Presidency

Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square

Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English)

@Rouhani_ir (Persian)

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

By: Kaveh Taheri