Stop Child Executions Campaign
{{Short description|Non-profit organization in Iran}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Stop Child Executions
| logo = Stem petition banner.jpg
| abbreviation = SCE
| type = Non-governmental organization
| purpose = Ending child execution in Iran
| headquarters =
| website = https://www.stopchildexecutions.com/
}}
Stop Child Executions was a non-profit organization co-founded by Nazanin Afshin-Jam that aims to put an end to executions of minors in Iran. The organization campaigned to raise awareness about the issue and to put pressure on the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, both in Iran and internationally. SCE was a follow-up effort to the successful campaign and petition that helped save the life of Nazanin Fatehi, an Iranian teenager sentenced to death for killing her attempted rapist. The "Save Nazanin" petition garnered more than 350,000 signatures worldwide.{{cite web|title='Someday' Is Now for Singer Nazanin|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9798463|website=NPR|date=24 April 2007}} Fatehi was released from prison in 2007.{{cite web|last1=Anderssen|first1=Erin|title=There's more to Nazanin Afshin-Jam than her beauty queen past|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/theres-more-to-nazanin-afshin-jam-than-her-beauty-queen-past/article4186774/?page=all|website=The Globe and Mail|date=19 May 2012}}
SCE was a member of the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.{{cite web|title=Partners|url=http://www.genevasummit.org/partners|website=Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy|accessdate=1 March 2015}}
Background information
Image:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia 13 by David Shankbone.jpg spoke at Columbia University a sign on campus noted a rally against child executions in Iran.]]
As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR){{cite web|title=International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights|url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4&lang=en|website=United Nations Treaty Collection|accessdate=28 February 2015}} and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),{{cite web|title=Children’s Rights: Iran|url=https://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/iran.php|website=Library of Congress|accessdate=28 February 2015}} the government of Iran agreed not to execute anyone for an offense committed when they were under the age of 18. Article 6 paragraph 5 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) declares: “Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age”{{cite web|title=Treaty Series, Volume 999|url=https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20999/v999.pdf|website=United Nations Treaty Collection|page=175}} and article 37 paragraph 1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) provides that: “Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be imposed for offenses committed by persons below eighteen years of age”.Wikisource:United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child#Article 37 Upon ratification of the CRC, however, Iran made the following reservation: "If the text of the Convention is or becomes incompatible with the domestic laws and Islamic standards at any time or in any case, the Government of the Islamic Republic shall not abide by it."
In January 2005, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which monitors states' compliance with the CRC, urged Iran to immediately stay all executions of child offenders and to abolish the use of the death penalty in such cases.{{cite web|title=Concluding observations: The Islamic Republic of Iran|url=http://docstore.ohchr.org/SelfServices/FilesHandler.ashx?enc=6QkG1d%2fPPRiCAqhKb7yhsgnXZ0ChBsrwmcy8%2f%2bFNoDFtMVWAWCOhvq1t%2foKw4WdAQBISytyuJam4qA0WsZ8ltw7x9qIV4VeDxwYTI%2fOfcdFEOAPGnWLj6c%2bFJb7SATW5|website=Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights|accessdate=28 February 2015|date=31 March 2005}} In the summer of 2006, the Iranian Parliament reportedly passed a bill establishing special courts for children and adolescents. However, it had not been approved by the Council of Guardians, which supervises Iran's legislation to ensure conformity with Islamic principles.{{cite web|title=Iran Leads the World in Executing Children|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2007/06/19/iran-leads-world-executing-children|website=Human Rights Watch|date=20 June 2007}} As Iran continued to execute juvenile offenders, international human rights organizations{{cite web |url= http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/Rapport_Iran_final.pdf |publisher=International Federation of Human Rights |title= Report on the death penalty in Iran |date=April 2009}}{{cite press release |url= https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/05/01/iran-secret-execution-juvenile-offender |publisher=Human Rights Watch |title=Reaction to the execution of Delera Darabi |date=May 2009}} and foreign governments[https://web.archive.org/web/20090619154621/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/pays-zones-geo_833/iran_420/droits-homme-iran_14359/peine-mort_18316/execution-par-pendaison-une-jeune-iranienne-23-ans-01.05.09_72615.html French reaction to the execution of Delera Darabi, May 2009] {{in lang|fr}}; [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716060626/http://www.eu2009.cz/cz/news-and-documents/cfsp-statements/*kopie-1:-eu-presidency-statement-on-the-execution-of-delara-darabi-by-stoning--19876/ European Union's reaction to the execution of Delera Darabi, May 2009]. routinely denounced the executions as a violation of the treaty.
Stop Child Executions was founded in 2007. In October 2008 SCE issued a comprehensive list of solutions to end juvenile executions in Iran.{{cite web|website=Stop Child Executions|title=SCE Solutions|url=http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=82}} In June 2009, SCE issued a report on child executions in Iran.{{cite web|url=http://fpc.org.uk/fsblob/1063.pdf|website=Stop Child Executions|title=From Cradle to Coffin: A Report on Child Executions in Iran|date=2009|publisher=Foreign Policy Centre|isbn=978-1-905833-16-0}} Since 1990 at least 34 executions of juvenile offenders in Iran had been recorded (26 since 2005).{{cite web|url=http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=92&Itemid=65|website=Stop Child Executions|title=Executed Minors}} As of October 2008 SCE had recorded at least 140 juvenile offenders on death row in Iran,{{cite web|url=http://www.stopchildexecutions.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=61|title=The Row|website=Stop Child Executions}}{{cite web|title=Iran's Death Row Children|url=http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=e14334d8-dd76-41ab-a3a8-0c6314acacb8|website=Canada.com|date=29 October 2008}} 3 in Saudi Arabia, 3 in Sudan and 1 in Yemen. As of October 2008, 6 juveniles were reported to have been executed in Iran to date in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://scenews.blog.com/1963613/|website=Stop Child Executions|title=Child in Yemen facing execution|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829150216/http://scenews.blog.com/1963613/|archivedate=29 August 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://scenews.blog.com/1981191/|website=Stop Child Executions|title=Nazanin Afshin-Jam sends urgent letter to Yemen's President & officials|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070730155402/http://scenews.blog.com/1981191/|archivedate=30 July 2007}}{{cite web|url=http://www.emadbaghi.com/archives/Issue_of_Executions.doc|title=Issue of Executions|website=Emad Baghi}} {{in lang|fa}}{{cite web|url=http://www.changethis.com/pdfdl/1.04.StopExecutions.pdf|title=Stop Child Executions: Ending the Death Penalty for Child Offenders|website=Amnesty International|date=13 August 2004|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102163716/http://changethis.com/pdfdl/1.04.StopExecutions.pdf|archivedate=2 January 2010}}