Main points
- An 11-year-old boy mobilized into the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has died in Iran.
- Human rights activists are calling on international organizations to increase pressure on Iran to prevent the exploitation of children in military positions.
The first child mobilized for the IRGC died in Iran / Collage of Channel 24
Alireza Jafari, a fifth-grader who was drafted into the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed at a checkpoint in Tehran as a result of an airstrike on Iranian military facilities.
This was reported by the human rights organization Hengaw, which is engaged in covering and documenting human rights violations in Iran, and pays great attention to the Kurdish minority.
What is known about the child's death?
Human rights activists cite the country's state-run newspaper Hamshahri, in an interview with which the mother of the deceased boy said that due to “a lack of personnel,” his father took the child to a checkpoint. There, 11-year-old Alireza died from a drone strike.
The death of the child “in the line of duty” at a checkpoint on the Artesh highway was also confirmed by the Basij teachers' organization. They are subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Note! The Basij functions as a tool of ideological control in educational institutions, carrying out purges of teachers and ensuring loyalty to the regime.
It is also worth recalling that a few days earlier, the media reported on Iran's plans to recruit teenagers from the age of 12 to special training programs where they would be taught military skills, discipline, and ideology.
The Iranian regime authorities directly called on minors to register to participate in activities of an “operational, auxiliary, logistical nature, and checkpoint patrols.”
Human rights activists are calling on international organizations, including the UN and UNICEF, to increase legal and diplomatic pressure on Iran to prevent the continuation of this practice and the exploitation of children in military positions.
Important! According to the Geneva Convention, children are considered civilians and have special protection, and their involvement in armed conflicts is prohibited. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also stipulates that the recruitment or use of persons under the age of 15 in armed forces or hostilities is a war crime.
What is the situation in Iran?
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After the elimination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country spontaneously began to search for new leaders. It was reported that Khamenei's son Mojtaba was chosen as the new leader. However, the US suggests that he may be in serious condition.
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At the same time, Donald Trump noted that in Iran there has been a change in influential representatives of the “old guard” to new, more pragmatic figures, and called on Tehran to conclude an agreement.
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The head of the White House himself does not rule out the possible establishment of control over Iranian oil resources, in particular, he did not rule out the option of taking control of the island of Kharq.