By ASSOCIATED PRESS

"An international human rights group has called on Iran to stop executing people under the age of 18, saying the country leads the world in the practice.

Human Rights Watch said Iran had executed at least 17 juvenile offenders, eight times more than any other country, since the beginning of 2004, including two so far this year.

Such sentences violate international treaties ratified by Iran that prohibit the death penalty for crimes committed by people under the age of 18, according to the human rights group.

It said Iran's judiciary had repeatedly upheld death sentences for juveniles charged with committing crimes when they were as young as 15. "