Juvenile offender Ahmad Bahari [who was on death row] had his life spared. He was released from prison today.
By Mohammad Mostafaei
At the age of 15, Ahmad Bahari was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Abolfazl Ramazani. Since November 13, 2006, Ahmad Bahari was detained in prison. My client’s family and others sought to obtain a pardon for the life of Ahmad Bahari. Finally, the victim’s family, Morteza Ramazani and Fatemeh Koorgoli, forgave Ahmad Bahari and ultimately saved him from execution [editor's note: the term used in the
Farsi text is
retribution, which is the Islamic regime's word for execution]. With the decision of the judges in branch 71 of the provincial criminal court, Ahmad Bahari was released.
After his arrest on November 13, 2006, my client stated: “I was sitting at home when Saeed, the slain victim, came to my home with the hopes of starting a conflict. He attacked me with a long knife and wounded my left hand and I fell to the floor. After a second strike, this time to my back, I defended myself by stabbing Saeed in the chest with a knife. He fell to the floor.”
Ahmad Bahari has claimed self defense throughout the [legal] process.
Three of the judges in branch 71 of the provincial criminal court issued an execution sentence for Bahari and two other judges considered Bahari’s crime an act of self defense. Finally, branch 11 of Iran’s Supreme Court, taking into consideration the defense and the contents of my client’s file issued by the provincial criminal court, confirmed the final judgment.
Again, I would like to thank everyone, especially the victim’s family, who made the pardon possible.
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