February 17, 2016
Forensics of the northwester Iranian city of Urumieh had been assigned to do a mental evaluation of Kurdish political prisoner Saman Naseem earlier this month. This unconventional measure by the Iranian regime’s judiciary forensics medicine branch involved a few questions on counting numbers and uttering the names of the days of the week.
The evaluation of Saman Naseem’s mental maturity is being conducted in relation to evaluate his “maturity at the time of his crime” when Naseem was 17 years of age.
Mental age is the age that shows one’s mental growth with different elements such as gene, environment, nutrition, family, teachings and social education taken into consideration.
Naseem was arrested back in July 2011 and accused by the judiciary of “murdering” a Revolutionary Guards member. This entity has resorted to the difference between “qisas” (retribution in kind) and criminal punishment, and is on the verge of executing this young Kurd.
Dozens of juveniles under the age of 18 have been sentenced to death in Iran, Amnesty International said recently. This global organization has placed the name of Saman Naseem in its annual prisoners release campaign.
