Following the execution of Atefeh, a 16 year old girl in the northern city of Neka in Iran, who was accused of having had an extramarital sexual affair, the legal experts are now worried about the faith of three young people who are condemned to death by the Islamic courts. Under international pressure the Judiciary has now announced that they are waiting for three young boys to reach the age of 18 before they are executed. The authorities have not revealed what the boys are convicted of.

Under Islamic Law children are exempt from judicial punishment but the same legal system considers girls at the age of 10 and boys at 16 as adults and punishable.

Although in the past two years the IRI have not carried out some of the court verdicts which contravened the international law of Human Rights, but at the same time no amendments have been made to the Islamic legal system in these respects.

ISNA, the student’s news agency in Iran says they received letters which warns them the boys have just turned 18 and if the international public opinion remains silent they will have the same faith as Atefeh, the 16 year old girl from Neka.