UN expert: Iran executes children in violation of rights law

A UN independent human rights expert said on Wednesday that Iran executed seven child offenders last year and two so far this year even though human rights law prohibits the death penalty for anyone under age 18.

Javaid Rehman told the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee Wednesday that he has “credible information” there are at least 90 child offenders now on death row in Iran.

Rehman also expressed deep concern at the overall use of the death penalty in the Islamic Republic. He said Iran’s execution rate “remains one of the highest in the world” even though the number dropped from 507 in 2017 to 253 last year.

So far in 2019, “conservative estimates indicate that at least 173 executions have been carried out,” Rehman added.