Abdorrahman Boroumand Center

for Human Rights in Iran

https://www.iranrights.org
Omid, a memorial in defense of human rights in Iran
One Person’s Story

Ali Ja'fari

About

Age: 20
Nationality: Iran
Religion: Presumed Muslim
Civil Status: Unknown

Case

Date of Killing: May 20, 2009
Location of Killing: Central Prison (Adelabad), Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
Mode of Killing: Hanging
Charges: Murder
Age at time of alleged offense: 17

About this Case

News of the execution of Mr. Ali Ja’fari, along with three others, was published on the website of Khabar-e Jonub newspaper on May 21, 2009. Additional information was taken from the weblog of Varesh, the diary of Asieh Amini. According to the existing information, his case was related to the murder of an adolescent in Shiraz in September of 2006. Mr. Ja’fari was 17 when the incident occurred. (weblog of Varesh)

International laws have strictly prohibited capital punishment against those who were under the age of 18 at the time of committing the crime. As a party to the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Iran has the obligation to avoid capital punishment for an offence committed before the age of eighteen.

Arrest and detention

Shiraz Police arrested Mr. Ja’fari on August 28, 2006. The circumstances of his arrest and detention are not known.

Trial

Branch Five of the Criminal Court of Fars tried Mr. Ja’fari. No information is available on his trial.

Charges

The charge brought against Mr. Ja’fari was announced as “murder.” He was accused of murdering an adolescent, named J. M., by throwing a knife.    

The validity of the criminal charges brought against this defendant cannot be ascertained in the absence of the basic guarantees of a fair trial. 

Evidence of guilt

According to the existing information, the “confession” of Mr. Ja’fari during interrogation and trial was the basic reason for the ruling. The report of this execution did not provide any specific information on the evidence presented against him.

Defense

Mr. Ja’fari was younger than 18 when the incident occurred. No information is available on his defense. According to the Khabar-e Jonub report, he stated that when the victim passed their neighborhood on a motorcycle, he had insulted him and because of his anger, he had thrown a knife at him.

Judgment

Branch Five of the Criminal Court of Fars condemned Mr. Ali Ja’fari to death and the Supreme Court confirmed the ruling. He was hanged, along with three others, at Adelabad Prison in Shiraz on May 20, 2009. No further information is available about this execution.

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