18 July 2007
Temporary reprieve for Iranian child offender
The execution of 18-year-old Sina Paymard, which was planned to take place on 17 July, has been postponed. Sina Paymard was sentenced to death in Iran for a crime committed when he was just 16 years old.
According to reports, Sina Paymard had been moved from Reja'i Shahr prison in Karaj to Tehran's Evin prison for his execution to be carried out on 17 July.
Sina Paymard's lawyer, human rights defender Nasrin Sotudeh, has reported that he was not executed, and his family have been given 10 days to reach a financial settlement with the victim's kin. If the money (blood money) is not raised, then Sina is likely to be executed.
Sina Paymard, a musician, was originally due to be executed in September last year for murder. On the gallows, Sina's last request was to play the ney (a Middle Eastern flute) just one more time.
The family of the victim were so moved by his playing that they granted him a last-minute reprieve. They asked for 150 million toumans (over US$160,000) as compensation instead. Sina's family have, so far, been unable to raise the full amount.
News
.jpg)
A draft law that includes new press-related crimes and exorbitant fines for journalists who violate them looks set to be signed off by Burundi's President.
Read more »
Forced evictions in Haiti are worsening the already desperate situation of thousands of people still living in displacement camps more than three years after the devastating... Read more »
In Sri Lanka, a climate of intolerance and fear continues to sweep the island as the government’s stranglehold on the population grows ever tighter.
Read more »
A Turkish reform bill passed into law today fails to meet the government’s stated aim of bringing Turkey's laws into line with international human rights standards.
Read more »
Four founding members of a nascent human rights group in Saudi Arabia have been interrogated and intimidated in their attempt to get their organization off the ground.
Read more »