Watchdog

The UN's high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, has spoken out against the large number of executions in Iran, specifically mentioning the planned execution of a minor in the Islamic republic.

In a June 26 statement, Pillay brought up the case of Razieh Ebrahimi, who was convicted of killing her husband when she was 17 years old.

Pillay noted Ebrahimi was married off when she was 14, gave birth to a child when she was 15, and -- after being subjected to domestic violence -- reportedly killed her husband.

“Regardless of the circumstances of the crime, the execution of juvenile offenders is clearly prohibited by international human rights law,” she said.

The UN says it has reliable sources that say some 160 people are on death row for crimes they committed when they were under the age of 18.

More than 250 people are believed to have been executed in Iran so far this year.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized Tajik authorities for not fully respecting the rights of families being resettled to make way for the Roghun hydroelectric dam.

In a statement issued on June 25, HRW said the Tajik government has not provided displaced families with compensation to replace their homes or restore their livelihoods, despite commitments to meet international standards in the resettlement process.

According to the HRW statement, many resettled families have suffered serious disruptions in access to housing, food, water, and education.

Some 1,500 families have been resettled from the area since 2009.

The Roghun dam and hydropower plant is expected to displace more than 42,000 people before it is operational.

HRW also urged the World Bank and other potential donors to work with Tajik authorities to ensure that human rights are respected throughout the resettlement process.