An Innocent Afghan Child Faces Execution in Iran!

The Islamic Republic of Iran is religious country following the Shiite Islam Jurisprudence (School of thought). Iranians enforce strictly their religious laws upon every person living in Iran whether the crime committed is of civil nature or of any other sort.

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Iranian judiciary’s decisions hit headlines around the globe a few months ago when the two Iranian-Americans, who were held on charges of spying for US and Israel, were released and deported back to US. Now, the Iranian Judiciary has made headlines in Afghanistan because of its harsh punishment of a young Afghan boy, Abbas Hosseini, who was arrested on charges of murdering an Iranian. The child who at the time of the crime was between 13-17 years of age admitted the murder maintaining that he had committed the murder to escape “a rape attempt” by the Iranian man. The courts judgment of executing Abbas Hosseini fulfills no legal requirement on the part of the court. It’s absolutely a one-sided decision enforced upon a poor refugee who committed the act in self-defense. The courts decision had come in late 2004; however, it had been upheld till further notification which took over 5 years as the boy wasn’t above the legal age of 18. Now, he is deemed to be executed soon as the final nod for the decision has come from the highest judicial body of the Iranian Judiciary.

Abbas Hosseini was sentenced to death in June 2004 by Branch 43 of the Public Court in Mashhad for a murder which he claimed to have committed “in a moment of insanity” after the victim attempted to rape him. On 30 September 2004, Branch 41 of the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence. Abbas Hosseini was due to be executed on 1 May 2005. He was granted a one-week stay of execution to give the victim’s family another opportunity to accept payment of diyeh. However, the Head of the Judiciary ordered the local judiciary in Mashhad not to proceed with the execution, and Abbas Hosseini’s case was sent for review. Branch 13 of the Supreme Court on 27 April 2008 did not confirm the verdict and sent the case for retrial on account of Abbas Hosseini’s age at the time of the crime. Nonetheless he was sentenced to death once again on 5 August 2008 by Branch 103 of the Public Juvenile Court in Mashhad.

Through out the migration years, Iranians have been harsh with their Afghan neighbors inflicting upon them heartbreaking atrocities in whatever form possible. Afghans returning from Iran are always found complaining about the harsh treatments they used to receive both from the public and the government.

The case of Abbas Hosseini reflects how corrupt and one sided is the Iranian system. Humanitarian NGO’s have appealed to the government of Afghanistan to make sure the return of Abbas Hosseini safe and sound back home in Afghanistan and suspend all diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic till Abbas Hosseini is pardoned. Although the weak Afghan government is believed to be of no use in this case, International Institutions and bodies should play their role in safeguarding the life of an innocent child.