Behnoud Shojaie Was Executed In Front Of My Eyes
RFE/RL / RFE/RL
19-Oct-2009

 Blogger Mohammad Mostafaei is an Iranian lawyer who represents offenders on death row who committed crimes when they were younger than 18. Mostafaei writes about the October 11 hanging of his client, Behnoud Shojaie, who was executed for stabbing to death a teenager when he was 17.

About 2.00 a.m., rights activists and a number of Iran's mourning mothers were [outside Tehran's Evin Prison]. We were waiting for the parents to arrive at the prison. After about an hour, Ehsan's [the victim] parents appeared along with his siblings. The crowd moved towards them to try to convince them with their pleas to reconsider the execution of Behnoud.

Some time passed and his parents agreed to forgive.

All of a sudden the surroundings changed, the prison gates opened up, and the parents…and I went in. We stayed for some time in the waiting room. I thought the parents would forgive and Behnoud would not be executed.

Some more time passed and the voices of the activists praying were audible from outside. After a couple of minutes we entered into another lounge. Behnoud and some prison officials were present. As soon as he saw the parents he got down at their feet and begged them for his life….

Some of the ... >>>

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