BERLIN - The German government's human rights commissioner on Wednesday condemned Iran's reported execution of a man who was 15 years old when he committed his crime, calling it a completely unacceptable violation of international law.
Baerbel Kofler criticized Tehran's reported execution of Ali Kazemi, 22, on Monday, and said the man's attorney had not even been informed of the pending execution.
Kazemi had been accused of fatally wounding another youth in a brawl involving several other people.
Kofler urged Tehran to halt the planned execution of another man, Hamid Ahmadi, 27, who was 17 at the time of his alleged crime, saying there were "significant doubts" about whether the rule of law was sufficiently applied in his trial.
Ahmadi was convicted and sentenced to death in 2009, with the sentence reaffirmed in a second trial in 2016. He was also accused of killing another youth with a knife during a group fight. His execution is expected at any time.
"This policy of executions must stop," Kofler said in a statement. The executions were in direct violation of UN conventions on the rights of children and international treaties on civil and political rights signed by Iran, he said.Germany remains committed to the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, but has been outspoken about Iran's violation of human rights, its support for violence in the region and its continued development of long-range missiles.