Tehran, 5.12.2007

EU Presidency Statement on the execution of Makwan Mouloudzadeh

The EU Presidency strongly deplores the execution of Makwan Mouloudzadeh, who was sentenced to death by a judge of Kermanshah Court for a crime allegedly committed when he was only 13 years old.

The EU Presidency recalls the Islamic Republic of Iran's international commitments, specifically the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both clearly prohibiting the execution of minors or people who have been convicted of crimes committed while they were minors.

The EU Presidency reiterates its longstanding position against the death penalty in all circumstances and wishes to recall that any miscarriage or failure of justice in the application of capital punishment represents the irreparable and irreversible loss of human life.

The EU Presidency urges the Islamic Republic of Iran to carry out an investigation in order to verify whether the trial of Makwan Mouloudzadeh followed all legal procedures and if he was granted all the rights provided for by the penal procedural code, and to ensure that all appropriate measures are taken in this regard.

The EU Presidency also appeals to the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure that the new law under consideration is approved by the Majlis and the Judiciary and that it should clearly exclude the application of death penalty sentences to minors or juvenile offenders.

The Governments of Australia, Croatia and Norway associate themselves to this declaration.