Saturday 17 July 2010

24 July 2010 - International Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani Day

Citizens of the World against Stoning

We, the undersigned, are extremely concerned about the fate of 43 year old Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani and fear she may be executed in Iran at any time for ‘having an illicit relationship.’

We call on people everywhere to intensify their protests by marking Saturday 24 July as the International Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani Day. On the Saturday, we ask you to come out on to the streets and in city centres across the globe at 2pm local time bringing photos of Sakine and messages in her defence and against stoning and execution. Other measures that can be taken include highlighting her case wherever possible, signing petitions here, here and here, joining rallies, and keeping pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The mother of two has already received 99 lashes and been sentenced to death by stoning. Sajjad, her 22-year-old son, who raised the alarm of her imminent stoning when there was no further legal recourse via an open letter to the people of the world and said ‘there is no justice’ in Iran has been summoned to the Ministry of Intelligence for his brave efforts to secure his mother’s freedom.

As a result of the public outcry, the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London has issued a press release stating that the regime did not intend to stone her, that stoning in Iran was rare and that there was no truth to the reports. Her lawyer, however, has made it clear that ‘Iranian embassies are not a part of the judiciary system, and it is the judiciary which should cancel this sentence.’ Rather than being rare, a new report has found that over 100 known stonings have already taken place and another 25 known cases await death by stoning in Iran. Since the global protests, families of others held in Tabriz prison have come forward with news of 170 people sentenced to death, including children, youth, and 18 men and women for being gay. Two other women also await death by stoning in the same prison including Azar Bagheri who was 15 when she was arrested and 25 year old Maryam Ghorbanzadeh who is currently pregnant.

On 24 July 2010 at 2pm join us and make the world stand still in its rage against medievalism and barbarity and in its support of humanity. Sakine, her children and the many others awaiting death by stoning and execution deserve nothing less.

Mina Ahadi, International Committee Against Stoning and International Committee Against Executions (Germany)
Maryam Namazie, Iran Solidarity, Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran and One Law for All (UK)
Maria Rohaly, Mission Free Iran (USA)
Shahla Abgari, Human Rights Activist (USA)
Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Stop Child Executions (Canada)
Russell Blackford, University of Newcastle (Australia)
Caroline Brancher, Union des Familles Laïques (France)
Helle Merete Brix, Journalist and Writer (Denmark)
Roy Brown, International Humanist and Ethical Union (Switzerland)
Ed Buckner, President, American Atheists (USA)
Peter Calluy, Belgian Humanist Society (Belgium)
Pierre Cassen, Riposte Laïque (France)
Megan Cornish, Seattle Radical Women (USA)
Parvin Darabi, Dr. Homa Darabi Foundation (USA)
Richard Dawkins, Scientist (UK)
Sanal Edamaruku, Rationalist International (India)
Bill Flanagan, Queen's University (Canada)
Tahir Aslam Gora, Writer and Journalist (Canada)
AC Grayling, Writer and Philosopher (UK)
Laura Guidetti, Marea Association (Italy)
Maria Hagberg, Network against Honour-Related Violence (Sweden)
Johann Hari, Journalist (UK)
Farzana Hassan, Author (Canada)
Tasneem Khalil, Independent World Report (Sweden)
Hope Knutsson, Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association (Iceland)
Leo Igwe, Nigerian Humanist Movement (Nigeria)
Sonia Jabbar, Journalist (India)
Trefor Jenkins, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Ghulam Mustafa Lakho, High Court Advocate (Pakistan)
Monica Lanfranco, Marea Feminist Review (Italy)
Anne-marie Lizin, Belgian Senate Honorary Speaker (Belgium)
Marieme Helie Lucas, Secularism Is A Women's Issue (France)
Kinga Lohmann, KARAT Coalition (Poland)
Mohamed Mahmoud, Centre for Critical Studies of Religion (UK)
Irshad Manji, European Foundation for Democracy and New York University (USA)
Caspar Melville, Rationalist Association (UK)
Behnaz Parman, Artist (Germany)
Angela Payne, Anti-Injustice Movement (UK)
Clancy Pegg, Bioethics Journal (UK)
Naomi Phillips, British Humanist Association (UK)
David Pollock, European Humanist Federation (UK)
Venita Popovic, Zenicke Sveske Journal (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Gita Sahgal, Human Rights Campaigner (UK)
Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society (UK)
Nina Sankari, European Feminist Initiative (Poland)
Udo Schuklenk, Queen's University (Canada)
Aisha Lee Shaheed, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (UK)
Issam Shukri, Defense of Secularism and Civil Rights in Iraq (Canada)
Elizabeth Sidney, Women Worldwide Advancing Freedom and Equality (UK)
Joan Smith, Writer and Activist (UK)
Roy Speckhardt, American Humanist Association (USA)
Annie Sugier, Ligue du Droit International Des Femmes (France)
Richy Thompson, National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies (UK)
Christine Tasin, Résistance Républicaine (France)
Peter Tatchell, Human Rights Campaigner UK)
Giti Thadani, Writer and Filmmaker (India)
Shishir Thadani, South Asian Voice (India)
Gianni Verdoliva, Journalist (Italy)

Notes:

1. The new and comprehensive list of persons stoned to death or awaiting death by stoning in Iran compiled by Farshad Hosseini of the ICAE is available in Persian. It is being translated into English.

2. See a 17 July article in the Times calling for the eviction of the Islamic Republic of Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

3. For more information, please contact:
Mina Ahadi, Germany, ICAE and ICAS Coordinator, Email, 0049 1775692413
Ahmad Fatemi, Sweden, ICAE Public Relations, Email, 0046 0735203817
Maryam Namazie, UK, Iran Solidarity Spokesperson, Email, 0044 7719166731

4. To donate to the important work of the International Committee Against Stoning and International Committee Against Executions, please make your cheque payable to ‘Count Me In – Iran’ and send to BM Box 6754, London WC1N 3XX, UK. You can also pay via Paypal. Please earmark your donation.

5. You can also find the latest news on the following websites:
International Committee Against Executions
International Committee Against Stoning
Facebook Page of Save Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani

36 comments:

  1. Shame on these Muslim States, they are a disgrace to Humanity.

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  2. Please do not do it!
    She is someone's daughter.

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  3. The Iranian government is totally barbaric.

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  4. A civilised country is not one that executes its own citizens.

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  5. This is unacceptable! Readers of this blog post, please add your comments and share it via twitter and facebook. Let the world know these barbaric acts still continue in our modern world.

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  6. What a sad...How cruel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  7. What kind of backward country imposes sentences like this for such "crimes" in the 21st century?

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  8. Love between consenting adults should never be a crime punished by death.

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  9. please save her!

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  10. It is a crime for other gov'ts to sit back and do nothing! There is so much going on around the world that you would not allow to happen at home, which will continue unless united speach and action is done! Support against inhumane crimes!!

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  11. as an iranian im ashamed of what is going on and i truly dont understand why we have reached to this state that a women is to be stoned but there is not a faint evidence or name of the man she is alleged to have an affair with, May god help us

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  12. God cannot help you because HE DOESN'T EXIST!!!! It's because of Iran's belief in 'God' that such atrocities happen in the first place!! Help YOURSELF!!

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  13. Please stop killing people for any reason. Please LIVE + HELP LIVE : PLEASE LIVE + LOVE. Thank you. http://www.CanWithCandle.org

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  14. God?, where is God?
    God don,t want this, do you know?
    The whole world is looking for this bad things..
    Iran, where is your God?

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  15. A backward and barbaric country is exposed by their actions. I ask God and the Angels to intervene on her behalf.

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  16. Stuart Parsons27 July 2010 at 23:04

    And all because a crazy Arab claimed a god was talking to him.

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  17. If there is somebody to stone it is definitely the god himself that make people stone women

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  18. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2071654&id=1145877708&ref=mf

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  19. This barbaric regime makes being a human being a crime!

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  20. Well, I'm not religious but I've heard about a famous person - Jesus - who said: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

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  21. what is wrong with these people? shame on them.. do not let this happen. Their god is a pretty violent piece of work too.

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  22. Barbarians conquered the Roman Empire. The new barbarians are using political correctness to conquer this civilization.
    Is it time? Have we overstayed our welcome?
    Will we fight for our freedoms? Or go quietly into that dark night?
    Time will tell.
    Religion has always been more evil than good.
    Religion has always been against the freedoms people want and need.
    Religion is EVIL!

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  23. I protest as strog as possible

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  24. STOP trying to tell us the Islam is a religion of peace. Read the koran.

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  25. It is interesting that non-Moslems are prostesting about this. The average Moslem as after 7/7 in London and 9/11 in NY is silent. I wonder why?

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  26. Islam is a peaceful religion?

    Stoning to death, wife beating, killing infidels ? Surely it is a peaceful religion by barbaric standards

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  27. Fuck you all kuffar and the western!!!!
    what your business in Iran, let them do their busines bcause it was they country!
    why u just minded your own business instead other country bussiness!
    I hope Alqaeda killing you all kuffar!!!!
    and the world will be own by Islam
    ALLAHUAKBAR!!! ALLAHUAKBAR!!!!

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  28. "Fuck you all kuffar and the western!!!!"
    Mo Idris - Surely you are better than childish insults like this ?

    'I hope Alqaeda killing you all kuffar!!!!
    and the world will be own by Islam'

    You do know your 7th century religion of flying horses, genies and angels isn't real don't you ?

    It seems this woman doesn't want to live in the islamic 'paradise' of iran anymore. Why not let her leave ? I think brazil offered her sanctuary.

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  29. Free Iran from all the barbaric laws!!!

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  30. @ Terri: Comments like these simply provoke more hate between different religions and attitudes towards life.

    It is not the Islam or any other religion which kills people. People like me and you kill and agonize each other, because of hate, fear and other destructive emotions and thoughts.
    We have to demonstrate that these crimes are not acceptable, not in the name of the Iran nor any other country or religion. But it is also our duty to leave our fear behind and start an open discussion about tolerance towards muslimic beliefs and life conceptions.

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  31. Maryam Namazie is an Iranian Hero! she fights for justice from these mullahs and these muslim extremists who are now running the country.

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  32. How come its not done to men!!! or do they not sin
    Have mercy, after all one of god's names is the merciful
    THE MERCIFUL
    God will punish all who kill in his name
    May god help you Sakina in sha allah

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  33. This is tragic, Moslem people do not tolerate such crimes, these crimes are done by a minority.
    We should stand against such injustice, but let us not let this be used to attack Islam.

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  34. i ask iran government to pardon her

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  35. If she committed adultery she should be stoned to death according to Islamic principles. Just because Christians allow their women to sleep around and parade around half naked does not mean that they are civilised and we are barbaric. It means they are deluded and emotionally misguided. We do not care about your silly whiney blogs and rallies. We do not care whether you are religious or not. We do not care whether you believe in Allah or not. We do and that is all the matters. Now go watch Britney or Pamela on TV and shut the fuck up. Long live Islam!

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