Ten Iranian Teenagers Said To Face Death Penalty Over Protests

A professor of law at Tehran University says 10 Iranian teenagers under the age of 18 will be put on trial on charges of “waging war against God” and "spreading corruption on earth”, which carry the death penalty.

Mohsen Berhani tweeted on November 27 that the teenagers will be tried before the Revolutionary Court, which he said has no jurisdiction to hear criminal cases against minors.

“They must be tried at the special criminal court for juveniles”, he wrote, adding that the court-appointed lawyers refused to defend the teenagers.

Berhani’s comments come as the Iranian authorities are cracking down hard on nationwide protests triggered by the September 16 death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of Tehran’s morality police.

More than 400 people have been killed by security forces, including more than 50 children, and thousands of others were arrested. At least six protesters have so far been sentenced to death.

"Children are at risk of execution and child rights activists are in prison," human rights activist Shiva Nazarahari said.

Meanwhile, UN's children agency, UNICEF, said it “condemns all violence against children” in Iran, and expressed deep concern about “continued raids and searches conducted in some schools”.

"Children and adolescents must be protected from all forms of harm that risk not only their lives and freedom, but also their mental and physical health”, the agency said in a statement.