Iran Maintains Death Penalty for Teenagers Convicted of Murder

Iran is to continue with the death penalty for juveniles convicted of murder despite moving to end the practice for those found guilty of lesser offenses.

The Iranian deputy state prosecutor, Hossein Zabhi, said it remained necessary to execute those who had committed murder before reaching the age of 18 under the country's Islamic laws.

The legislation demands an "eye for an eye", as defined in the Qur'an.

Zabhi's comments greatly dilute the effects of a state directive, issued last week, which instructed judges to curtail the use of capital punishment for those who had committed crimes as children.

The directive was hailed by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as a major step forward in Iran's attitude towards child executions.

Both organizations had voiced hopes that the decision, taken by the Iranian judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, would save around 120 teenagers currently awaiting execution.

Iranian law carries the death penalty for several offenses, including drug trafficking, apostasy and rape.

Human rights lawyers say the vast majority of minors on death row have murder convictions and would be unaffected by the change.

"The new directive bans execution of criminals who are under 18 only if they have committed crimes related to narcotics that carry death penalty," Zabhi told the Associated Press.

"We can't deny a victim's family the legal right to ask for Islamic qesas ... eye for eye retribution."

He added that those convicted of serious drug offenses would be given life sentences with the possibility of parole for good behavior.

However, Mohammad Mostafai, a lawyer who has represented many juvenile defendants, said the number of people reprieved would be in single figures, dismissing the directive as an attempt to ease international pressure.