Young offender 'hanged in Iran'

Dozens of juvenile offenders are believed to be on death row in Iran

Human rights groups say Iran has executed another juvenile offender, despite apparently saying recently that it was halting such executions.

Human Rights Watch said an Afghan national, convicted of murder at the age of 17, was executed last week.

The central judiciary has not confirmed the news from Isfahan. It would be the seventh such execution in 2008.

Iran appeared to say it was ending the practice last month, but later said victims' families had the final say.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the Afghan man, identified as Gholamreza H, was hanged in Isfahan province on 30 October.

He was 19 when the execution was carried out, but had been convicted for a murder he committed in November 2006 as a 17-year-old.

Retaliation, not execution

Human Rights Watch says 26 juvenile offenders have been executed in Iran since January 2005, out of a worldwide total of 32 known executions.

The execution was announced by judicial officials in Isfahan province, the group says, although at a recent news conference in Tehran, the judiciary spokesman said he was not aware of the case.

The Iranian government recently announced an end to child executions, but a few days later a spokesman made it clear that did not include so called "blood money" or "Qeisas" cases, which make up the vast majority of executions.

According to the Justice Ministry spokesman, these cases are not technically "execution" but "retaliation" on behalf of victims' families which is sanctioned by Islamic law and cannot be repealed.