The European Union is deeply concerned about reports in Iran on the upcoming executions of Behnoud Shojaee, Reza Padashi and Hossein Haghi, who pleaded guilty and were sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were under-age, an EU official report said.
In the report, the EU brings up its previous discussion of this issue and the declaration made on May 23, 2008 with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In its official statement, the EU said that these penalties could be a direct violation of international obligations, in particular, the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Children's Rights. These documents prohibit punishing juvenile offenders or people convicted for crimes committed when they were under-age.
In the message the EU calls on Iran to respect international law and avoid punishing Shojaee, Padashi and Haghi, as well as all other juvenile offenders, taking into consideration alternative sentences for juvenile offenders.
The EU condemns the widespread use of the death sentences and executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the press release said. The EU continues to call upon the Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty and to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty, as it is strongly recommended in the UN General Assembly resolutions 62/149 and 63/168.
Behnoud Shojaee was arrested on an accusation of murder in June 2005 when he was 17. Reza Padashi was convicted for murder of a young man in February 2004 when he was 16. Hossein Haghi was 16 when he was convicted for murder in August 2003.