"I would like to wish Iran Solidarity a very happy first Birthday! Hurray!! Well done for all your hard work."
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Happy Birthday Iran Solidarity
Thanks to Marie who sent us the following email and card:
"I would like to wish Iran Solidarity a very happy first Birthday! Hurray!! Well done for all your hard work."
"I would like to wish Iran Solidarity a very happy first Birthday! Hurray!! Well done for all your hard work."
Government of Murderers!
Press Release No. 13
After the campaign against the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi-Ashtiaani had become internationalized, the families of those held in a prison in Tabriz, Azarbayjan, Iran, contacted and informed us about the shocking situation of their loved ones in jail. We disclose those cases too so that people of the world will become further aware of the vile character of this government, the government of murderers, and join the Iranian people in their struggle to overthrow it.
As reports received by the International Committee against Execution, there are 170 people sentenced to death in Tabriz prison. Among them there are a group of children under 18 and a pregnant woman.
Two other women sentenced to death by stoning
Azar Bagheri is nineteen years old. She was arrested, convicted of having had sex out of the wedlock, and sentenced to death by stoning when she was only fifteen. She has spent the past four years of her life in the company of the ultimate nightmare: be stoned to death. During this time Azar has been subjected to mock stoning twice, that is, she has been buried up to her chest, ready for the stones to be thrown at her, and then told that she must either cooperate or face this! Azar was 14 when she was forced into an unwanted marriage. Later her husband pressed charges against her, claiming she did not love him and had a relationship with another man.
Maryam Baagherzaade, 25 years of age, also sentenced to death by stoning. Maryam has been in jail for 4 years now. She got pregnant following a short leave from prison. The Islamic regime intends to hang or stone this woman to death. Usually the pregnant women have their babies before being killed.
18 homosexuals waiting to be hanged
We are in receipt of news about 8 women and 10 men in Tabriz prison sentenced to death by hanging for being homosexuals.
Young girl on death row takes her own life
Friday, July 9, 2010, Tabriz prison was shrouded in a deep sorrow. Soodaabe Ahmadi, 16 years of age, sentenced to death for murder, had killed herself in her cell. This young person took her own life because she was too young to bear to count the seconds to the first touch of the rope on her neck.
Young girl on death row
Fariba Shafaa’at, 20 years of age, was 14 when she was arrested and charged with the murder of her father. We were contacted from Tabriz on July 12, 2010, and told that the judiciary authorities in Tehran have already given the go-ahead for her execution. They are murdering this young woman who was only 14 when she was convicted of murder. She could be murdered at any moment.
***
This is only one prison and just one example of the indescribable brutality the Islamic regime has subjected the Iranian people to. The Islamic Republic is not the government of the Iranian people, it is their murderer. It must be banned from all international bodies, and all its embassies as well as various centers must be closed everywhere.
We call on the people of the world to intensify their pressure on the Islamic Republic. Organize rallies where you live and/or in front of the regime’s embassies! Demand the quashing of all standing execution sentences as well as the abolition of stoning, and execution in general, in Iran!
We call on all relevant international organizations to dispatch commissions of inquiry to Iran in order to inspect the Tabriz prison and other murder houses of the Islamic Republic. Needless to say, this will have to be imposed on the regime.
International Committee against Execution
July 13, 2010
http://notonemoreexecution.wordpress.com
http://stopstonningnow.com
Mina Ahadi
Coordinator
Tel: 0049-177-569-2413
E-mail: minaahadi@aol.com
After the campaign against the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi-Ashtiaani had become internationalized, the families of those held in a prison in Tabriz, Azarbayjan, Iran, contacted and informed us about the shocking situation of their loved ones in jail. We disclose those cases too so that people of the world will become further aware of the vile character of this government, the government of murderers, and join the Iranian people in their struggle to overthrow it.
As reports received by the International Committee against Execution, there are 170 people sentenced to death in Tabriz prison. Among them there are a group of children under 18 and a pregnant woman.
Two other women sentenced to death by stoning
Azar Bagheri is nineteen years old. She was arrested, convicted of having had sex out of the wedlock, and sentenced to death by stoning when she was only fifteen. She has spent the past four years of her life in the company of the ultimate nightmare: be stoned to death. During this time Azar has been subjected to mock stoning twice, that is, she has been buried up to her chest, ready for the stones to be thrown at her, and then told that she must either cooperate or face this! Azar was 14 when she was forced into an unwanted marriage. Later her husband pressed charges against her, claiming she did not love him and had a relationship with another man.
Maryam Baagherzaade, 25 years of age, also sentenced to death by stoning. Maryam has been in jail for 4 years now. She got pregnant following a short leave from prison. The Islamic regime intends to hang or stone this woman to death. Usually the pregnant women have their babies before being killed.
18 homosexuals waiting to be hanged
We are in receipt of news about 8 women and 10 men in Tabriz prison sentenced to death by hanging for being homosexuals.
Young girl on death row takes her own life
Friday, July 9, 2010, Tabriz prison was shrouded in a deep sorrow. Soodaabe Ahmadi, 16 years of age, sentenced to death for murder, had killed herself in her cell. This young person took her own life because she was too young to bear to count the seconds to the first touch of the rope on her neck.
Young girl on death row
Fariba Shafaa’at, 20 years of age, was 14 when she was arrested and charged with the murder of her father. We were contacted from Tabriz on July 12, 2010, and told that the judiciary authorities in Tehran have already given the go-ahead for her execution. They are murdering this young woman who was only 14 when she was convicted of murder. She could be murdered at any moment.
***
This is only one prison and just one example of the indescribable brutality the Islamic regime has subjected the Iranian people to. The Islamic Republic is not the government of the Iranian people, it is their murderer. It must be banned from all international bodies, and all its embassies as well as various centers must be closed everywhere.
We call on the people of the world to intensify their pressure on the Islamic Republic. Organize rallies where you live and/or in front of the regime’s embassies! Demand the quashing of all standing execution sentences as well as the abolition of stoning, and execution in general, in Iran!
We call on all relevant international organizations to dispatch commissions of inquiry to Iran in order to inspect the Tabriz prison and other murder houses of the Islamic Republic. Needless to say, this will have to be imposed on the regime.
International Committee against Execution
July 13, 2010
http://notonemoreexecution.wordpress.com
http://stopstonningnow.com
Mina Ahadi
Coordinator
Tel: 0049-177-569-2413
E-mail: minaahadi@aol.com
Letter from LIGUE DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL DES FEMMES on behalf of Sakine
LIGUE DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL DES FEMMES
Paris, le 13 juillet 2010
Lettre ouverte à :
L’ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Guide Suprême de la République Islamique d'Iran, et
L’ayatollah Sadegh Ardeshir-Larijani, Ministre de la Justice de la République Islamique d'Iran
La presse internationale s’était faite l’écho de la condamnation à la lapidation d’une jeune iranienne, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani et de sa prochaine exécution. En tant qu’association de défense du droit des femmes, nous avions alors fait connaître notre indignation face à l’injustice et à la cruauté de telles pratiques qui sont totalement contraires aux conventions internationales en matière de droits de la personne.
Nous venons maintenant d’apprendre que l’ordre de lapidation a été in extrémis annulé mais que cette jeune femme risque une peine dite de « substitution », la pendaison. Elle attend donc dans le couloir de la mort que les autorités statuent sur son sort. Son « crime » ? Avoir été accusée de relations hors mariage avec un homme plusieurs années après la mort de son mari.
Le moment est sans doute venu, à partir du cas de cette jeune femme, de faire savoir à l’opinion publique internationale que la République islamique d’Iran a décidé de remettre en cause ce qui dans son code pénal exige de tels châtiments. Il faut que le nom même de Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani devienne synonyme d’espoir et non de désespoir.
Voilà pourquoi nous vous demandons instamment de :
- sursoir à toute forme d’exécution
- clarifier le statut légal de Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani et d’en informer dans les plus brefs délais son avocat
- accélérer la réflexion visant à retirer du code pénal les châtiments corporels et les peines telles que lapidation qui appartiennent à des âges archaïques.
Nous espérons être enfin entendues.
Annie Sugier , Présidente
12 rue Claude Debussy, 92339 SCEAUX, France
Copie : le secrétaire général du Haut Conseil pour les droits humains
Paris, le 13 juillet 2010
Lettre ouverte à :
L’ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, Guide Suprême de la République Islamique d'Iran, et
L’ayatollah Sadegh Ardeshir-Larijani, Ministre de la Justice de la République Islamique d'Iran
La presse internationale s’était faite l’écho de la condamnation à la lapidation d’une jeune iranienne, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani et de sa prochaine exécution. En tant qu’association de défense du droit des femmes, nous avions alors fait connaître notre indignation face à l’injustice et à la cruauté de telles pratiques qui sont totalement contraires aux conventions internationales en matière de droits de la personne.
Nous venons maintenant d’apprendre que l’ordre de lapidation a été in extrémis annulé mais que cette jeune femme risque une peine dite de « substitution », la pendaison. Elle attend donc dans le couloir de la mort que les autorités statuent sur son sort. Son « crime » ? Avoir été accusée de relations hors mariage avec un homme plusieurs années après la mort de son mari.
Le moment est sans doute venu, à partir du cas de cette jeune femme, de faire savoir à l’opinion publique internationale que la République islamique d’Iran a décidé de remettre en cause ce qui dans son code pénal exige de tels châtiments. Il faut que le nom même de Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani devienne synonyme d’espoir et non de désespoir.
Voilà pourquoi nous vous demandons instamment de :
- sursoir à toute forme d’exécution
- clarifier le statut légal de Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani et d’en informer dans les plus brefs délais son avocat
- accélérer la réflexion visant à retirer du code pénal les châtiments corporels et les peines telles que lapidation qui appartiennent à des âges archaïques.
Nous espérons être enfin entendues.
Annie Sugier , Présidente
12 rue Claude Debussy, 92339 SCEAUX, France
Copie : le secrétaire général du Haut Conseil pour les droits humains
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Iran Solidarity protest photo in 'Der Spiegel'
We are thrilled to tell you that a photo of Keyvan Javid from our protest on Saturday on Trafalgar Square in support of Sakineh and against stoning and execution made it into an article in the German magazine 'Der Spiegel' about Sakineh's case.
Article (in German)
Photo full size (site link)
Article (in German)
Photo full size (site link)
Monday, 12 July 2010
Thousands protested against stoning this past weekend
There were numerous protests and acts of solidarity that took place this past weekend against stoning and executions and in defence of Sakine and others.
Here are some photos from the protest in London.
Also many sent in their acts of solidarity to us during the weekend. Here are a few:
Rafiq Mahmood designed a T-Shirt against stoning.
Sean sent this message:
In light of the current situation in Iran, in which the government nearly stoned to death Mrs Ashtiani, I want to fully pledge my support to the work of your organisation. I feel deep sympathy for the people of Iran and I want nothing more for them than freedom, equality, democracy and secularism. I am eighteen years old, from the UK and don’t really know how I can be of use but I would be willing to do anything in my power to help. I want the next generation of Iranian youths to grow up in a country in which they are not discriminated against based on their sex, religion, ethnicity or political views but on the content of their character. God bless your efforts. With love.
Lorraine Burnett from Portugal sent this photo:
Maria from Egham, Surrey sent these photos:
Eckart sent the following pleading against capital punishment:
In Germany, Article 102 of the Basic Law the death penalty has been outlawed, i.e., it is unconstitutional, and for good reason. This is not only rooted in the experience of the Third Reich, but also due to other aspects that I would like to present briefly.
The death penalty has also long been abolished in all other European countries – except in Byelorussia, which is a dictatorship. The fact that it is still mentioned in the constitution of the German Federal State of Hessen is irrelevant, because in Germany, federal law supersedes state law. In the European Union, the death penalty is permissible with ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in exceptional cases only such as war or rebellion.
The intent of punishment is to give the offender the possibility of understanding that his or her act was unlawful and morally reprehensible, and in many cases this actually happens – albeit, not in all cases.
An offender who has been condemned to death does not have this possibility, because once he or she has been put to death, he or she will not be able to understand anything at all.
In other words, the idea behind the death penalty is not education or giving someone the possibility of gaining insight into his or her unlawful and morally reprehensible action.
Rather; the idea behind the death penalty is revenge, according to the “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" principle which is embodied in the Old Testament and the ancient Jewish bible. This principle is actually rescinded by the statement "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" from the New Testament, which was inspired by the Jewish itinerant preacher Jesus.
In the Old Testament, then, the point was one on one retaliation, or revenge, but the New Testament anticipates the possibility of forgiving once the offender has recognized the reprehensibility of his or her actions.
Revenge, however, is a base motive. The penal code of the Federal Republic of Germany states in Art. 211 (sentence 2):
“A murderer is a person who kills another person with malicious intent, cruelly, with means that are considered dangerous to the public, out of a desire to kill, out of sexual depravity, for greed or other base motives, or to enable or cover up another crime.”
This legislation in Art. 211, sentence 2, of the German Penal Code would actually apply to any enforcement of the death penalty – because until proof of the contrary, carrying out a death penalty can only be done using means dangerous to the public. Thus, according to §211, sentence 1, anyone carrying out the death penalty in Germany would have to be punished by life imprisonment(cf. http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/211.html). Any judge sentencing someone to death would be open to the charge of calling for or incitement to murder, at least from a moral standpoint.
There are always some miscarriage of justice in countries that still apply and carry out the death penalty – judicial errors, so-called – which cause the death of innocent people. When these miscarriages of justice have been executed, and one has realized that an innocent person was executed, there is always talk about “legal murder” – and rightly so, in my mind – because it is a homicide for base motives.
And carrying out any death penalty is always exactly the same, even if the verdict seems to satisfy the laws of the respective country.
Because vengeance is considered – I hope – a base motive worldwide. As laid out above, the death penalty does not constitute an educational measure, but rather a sentence rooted in a base desire for vengeance, i.e., in base motives.
Those who are for the death penalty should be aware of the fact that by speaking out in favor of the death penalty, they are either relinquishing, or have never recognized, the tenets of our Basic Law, our legal system and our moral values – which are also inspired from the Christian values of the New Testament.
Those in favor of the death penalty, who even tolerate the execution of an innocent person due to such miscarriages of justice – since miscarriages of justice do occur occasionally and are apparently inevitable – should be perfectly aware of the fact that they are approving of their own execution and should see to it that they themselves be executed, even if they are innocent. Anything else would be inconsistent, lacking credibility and ridiculous.
Those in favor of the death penalty could effect their own execution, for example, by going to Saudi Arabia and publicly insulting the Koran, the "Prophet" Mohammed, or Islam as a whole.
These "severe crimes" are punished by death in Saudi Arabia, as well.
Eckhardt Kiwitt, Freising, Germany
James Nichols sent the following message:
To stone anyone to death is a BARBARIC act.
Those who would perpetrate this are BARBARIANS.
Allah is indeed Akhbar, but in His wisdom will make us stand before Him to decided our actions. HE will assuredly send BARBARIANS to Jehanum.
Jesus also asked, "Who among you will throw the first stone?" He also knew Allah would decided the stone throwers actions and send them to HELL.
I PLEAD to you in authority to have mercy on this woman, Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Annie Sugier translated our appeal into French:
11 juillet, journée internationale contre la lapidation – une journée que nous ferions bien de marquer car Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani est sur le point d’être lapidée pour adultère. S’exprimant en son nom, ses deux enfants ont dit “ Aujourd’hui nous nous adressons à l’opinion publique dans le monde. Cela fait 5 ans que nous vivons dans la peur et dans l’horreur, privés de l’amour maternel. Le monde est-il si cruel qu’il puisse assister à cette catastrophe sans rien faire ? ».
Ne restez pas passifs à regarder ce qui se passe. Mettons un terme à tout ça une fois pour toutes. Pour montrer que vous condamnez la lapidation et soutenez Sakine, pendant la semaine du 5-11 juillet, prenez des pierres de votre ville, universités, lieux de travail,… mettez les dans une place publique, avec un message de soutien à Sakine et contre les exécutions par lapidation ( http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-11-july-place-stones-in-public.html). Envoyez des lettres de protestation et signez la pétition contre la lapidation http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/06/please-help-our-mother-return-home-stop.html.
Here are some photos from the protest in London.
Also many sent in their acts of solidarity to us during the weekend. Here are a few:
Rafiq Mahmood designed a T-Shirt against stoning.
Sean sent this message:
In light of the current situation in Iran, in which the government nearly stoned to death Mrs Ashtiani, I want to fully pledge my support to the work of your organisation. I feel deep sympathy for the people of Iran and I want nothing more for them than freedom, equality, democracy and secularism. I am eighteen years old, from the UK and don’t really know how I can be of use but I would be willing to do anything in my power to help. I want the next generation of Iranian youths to grow up in a country in which they are not discriminated against based on their sex, religion, ethnicity or political views but on the content of their character. God bless your efforts. With love.
Lorraine Burnett from Portugal sent this photo:
Maria from Egham, Surrey sent these photos:
Eckart sent the following pleading against capital punishment:
In Germany, Article 102 of the Basic Law the death penalty has been outlawed, i.e., it is unconstitutional, and for good reason. This is not only rooted in the experience of the Third Reich, but also due to other aspects that I would like to present briefly.
The death penalty has also long been abolished in all other European countries – except in Byelorussia, which is a dictatorship. The fact that it is still mentioned in the constitution of the German Federal State of Hessen is irrelevant, because in Germany, federal law supersedes state law. In the European Union, the death penalty is permissible with ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in exceptional cases only such as war or rebellion.
The intent of punishment is to give the offender the possibility of understanding that his or her act was unlawful and morally reprehensible, and in many cases this actually happens – albeit, not in all cases.
An offender who has been condemned to death does not have this possibility, because once he or she has been put to death, he or she will not be able to understand anything at all.
In other words, the idea behind the death penalty is not education or giving someone the possibility of gaining insight into his or her unlawful and morally reprehensible action.
Rather; the idea behind the death penalty is revenge, according to the “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" principle which is embodied in the Old Testament and the ancient Jewish bible. This principle is actually rescinded by the statement "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" from the New Testament, which was inspired by the Jewish itinerant preacher Jesus.
In the Old Testament, then, the point was one on one retaliation, or revenge, but the New Testament anticipates the possibility of forgiving once the offender has recognized the reprehensibility of his or her actions.
Revenge, however, is a base motive. The penal code of the Federal Republic of Germany states in Art. 211 (sentence 2):
“A murderer is a person who kills another person with malicious intent, cruelly, with means that are considered dangerous to the public, out of a desire to kill, out of sexual depravity, for greed or other base motives, or to enable or cover up another crime.”
This legislation in Art. 211, sentence 2, of the German Penal Code would actually apply to any enforcement of the death penalty – because until proof of the contrary, carrying out a death penalty can only be done using means dangerous to the public. Thus, according to §211, sentence 1, anyone carrying out the death penalty in Germany would have to be punished by life imprisonment(cf. http://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/211.html). Any judge sentencing someone to death would be open to the charge of calling for or incitement to murder, at least from a moral standpoint.
There are always some miscarriage of justice in countries that still apply and carry out the death penalty – judicial errors, so-called – which cause the death of innocent people. When these miscarriages of justice have been executed, and one has realized that an innocent person was executed, there is always talk about “legal murder” – and rightly so, in my mind – because it is a homicide for base motives.
And carrying out any death penalty is always exactly the same, even if the verdict seems to satisfy the laws of the respective country.
Because vengeance is considered – I hope – a base motive worldwide. As laid out above, the death penalty does not constitute an educational measure, but rather a sentence rooted in a base desire for vengeance, i.e., in base motives.
Those who are for the death penalty should be aware of the fact that by speaking out in favor of the death penalty, they are either relinquishing, or have never recognized, the tenets of our Basic Law, our legal system and our moral values – which are also inspired from the Christian values of the New Testament.
Those in favor of the death penalty, who even tolerate the execution of an innocent person due to such miscarriages of justice – since miscarriages of justice do occur occasionally and are apparently inevitable – should be perfectly aware of the fact that they are approving of their own execution and should see to it that they themselves be executed, even if they are innocent. Anything else would be inconsistent, lacking credibility and ridiculous.
Those in favor of the death penalty could effect their own execution, for example, by going to Saudi Arabia and publicly insulting the Koran, the "Prophet" Mohammed, or Islam as a whole.
These "severe crimes" are punished by death in Saudi Arabia, as well.
Eckhardt Kiwitt, Freising, Germany
James Nichols sent the following message:
To stone anyone to death is a BARBARIC act.
Those who would perpetrate this are BARBARIANS.
Allah is indeed Akhbar, but in His wisdom will make us stand before Him to decided our actions. HE will assuredly send BARBARIANS to Jehanum.
Jesus also asked, "Who among you will throw the first stone?" He also knew Allah would decided the stone throwers actions and send them to HELL.
I PLEAD to you in authority to have mercy on this woman, Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani.
Annie Sugier translated our appeal into French:
11 juillet, journée internationale contre la lapidation – une journée que nous ferions bien de marquer car Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani est sur le point d’être lapidée pour adultère. S’exprimant en son nom, ses deux enfants ont dit “ Aujourd’hui nous nous adressons à l’opinion publique dans le monde. Cela fait 5 ans que nous vivons dans la peur et dans l’horreur, privés de l’amour maternel. Le monde est-il si cruel qu’il puisse assister à cette catastrophe sans rien faire ? ».
Ne restez pas passifs à regarder ce qui se passe. Mettons un terme à tout ça une fois pour toutes. Pour montrer que vous condamnez la lapidation et soutenez Sakine, pendant la semaine du 5-11 juillet, prenez des pierres de votre ville, universités, lieux de travail,… mettez les dans une place publique, avec un message de soutien à Sakine et contre les exécutions par lapidation ( http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/07/on-11-july-place-stones-in-public.html). Envoyez des lettres de protestation et signez la pétition contre la lapidation http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/2010/06/please-help-our-mother-return-home-stop.html.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Save Sakineh! Anti-execution protests continue
Iran Solidarity continued their protest against the death sentence of Sakineh Ashtiani, Zeinab Jalalian and Mohammad Reza Haddadi and all those sentenced to death in Iran. We had a brilliant protest and found much support among the people who stopped and listened to the speeches. We came out to also commemorate the International Day against Stoning on Sunday 11 July as there are currently 15 people in Iran sentenced to death by stoning. We staged a 'stone-'in' of a woman put in a white shroud and bound with rope.
Save Sakineh central London caravan
After our brilliant protest on Trafalgar Square we went to several other central London locations to raise awareness of the death sentences of Sakineh Ashtiani, Zeinab Jalalian and Mohammad Reza Haddadi.
Save Sakineh! Anti-execution protest outside Iran embassy London
Iran Solidarity held a successful protest outside the Islamic regime's embassy in London on Friday between 5-8pm. The protest was in support of Sakineh Ashtiani who had been sentenced to stoning for the alleged 'crime' of adultery. Iran Solidarity staged a 'stone-in' against stoning in Iran and anywhere in the world. The international campaign to save Sakineh, organised by the International Committee against Execution on which Iran Solidarity cooperates had already created huge international pressure and on Thursday the Islamic regime's embassy in London had issued a statement that Sakineh would not be stoned to death. However she has not been freed and might still be executed in another way. Iran Solidarity also protested against the death sentences of Mohammad Reza Haddadi and Zeinab Jalalian. Iran Solidarity demands the end of executions in Iran. The protest coincided with the anniversary of the student uprising in Iran in 1999.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Take action against stoning of Sakine in Iran today
Save Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani at imminent risk of stoning in Iran for sex outside of marriage. You can help by:
* Signing the petition.
* Sending messages of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email (Put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred box, and email address in third. Paste appeal in large box)
* Putting pressure on other governments to condemn the stoning and urge Sakine’s release.
* Taking stones to public places and leaving them there with messages of solidarity for Sakine and against stoning.
* Joining the below protests or organising your own:
LONDON, England: Friday July 9, 5pm-8pm outside the Islamic Republic Embassy, 16 Prince’s Gate, London SW7 1PT. Organized by Iran Solidarity UK.
MALMO, Sweden: Friday July 9, 4:30pm at Davidshalls Bro. Organised by IS, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, and Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights in Iran. Contact: Hasan Salehi +46 703171102 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +46 703171102 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Farideh Arman +46 703638088.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Friday July 9, 4:30pm at Sergelstorg. Organized by Iran Solidarity Sweden.
LONDON, England: Saturday July 10, 2pm Trafalgar Square: Caravan through London against stoning in Iran. We will be meeting at 2pm on Trafalgar Square to do a stone-in act and then move towards other points in London staging more stone-in acts to raise awareness of Sakine’s sentence. Contact: iransolidarityuk@gmail.com or call 07507978745.
BEVERLY HILLS CALIFORNIA, United States: Sunday July 11, 12pm-3pm on the north side of Santa Monica Blvd and Beverly Drive on the side with the grass and park. Contact: maria.rohaly@gmail.com.
SYDNEY, Australia: Sunday July 11, 11am-1pm outside City Hall. Organized by Iran Solidarity Australia.
WASHINGTON DC, United States: Sunday July 11, 12pm-1:30pm outside Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy (2209 Wisconsin Ave NW) to protest against stoning and execution and in remembrance of 18 Tir. Organized by WPI, REAL Courage and Mission Free Iran
* Signing the petition.
* Sending messages of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email (Put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred box, and email address in third. Paste appeal in large box)
* Putting pressure on other governments to condemn the stoning and urge Sakine’s release.
* Taking stones to public places and leaving them there with messages of solidarity for Sakine and against stoning.
* Joining the below protests or organising your own:
LONDON, England: Friday July 9, 5pm-8pm outside the Islamic Republic Embassy, 16 Prince’s Gate, London SW7 1PT. Organized by Iran Solidarity UK.
MALMO, Sweden: Friday July 9, 4:30pm at Davidshalls Bro. Organised by IS, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, and Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights in Iran. Contact: Hasan Salehi +46 703171102 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +46 703171102 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or Farideh Arman +46 703638088.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Friday July 9, 4:30pm at Sergelstorg. Organized by Iran Solidarity Sweden.
LONDON, England: Saturday July 10, 2pm Trafalgar Square: Caravan through London against stoning in Iran. We will be meeting at 2pm on Trafalgar Square to do a stone-in act and then move towards other points in London staging more stone-in acts to raise awareness of Sakine’s sentence. Contact: iransolidarityuk@gmail.com or call 07507978745.
BEVERLY HILLS CALIFORNIA, United States: Sunday July 11, 12pm-3pm on the north side of Santa Monica Blvd and Beverly Drive on the side with the grass and park. Contact: maria.rohaly@gmail.com.
SYDNEY, Australia: Sunday July 11, 11am-1pm outside City Hall. Organized by Iran Solidarity Australia.
WASHINGTON DC, United States: Sunday July 11, 12pm-1:30pm outside Islamic Republic’s Interests Section of the Pakistani Embassy (2209 Wisconsin Ave NW) to protest against stoning and execution and in remembrance of 18 Tir. Organized by WPI, REAL Courage and Mission Free Iran
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Keep the pressure on until we end stoning and save Sakine
Keep the pressure on until we end stoning and save Sakine
Mina Ahadi’s rebuttal of the press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning case
8 July 2010
With regards to the 8 July 2010 press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani:
1. The Islamic Republic of Iran has retreated to some extent due to international pressure and widespread coverage received by the international campaign to save Sakine’s life. The main aim of the embassy’s press release, however, is to create doubt and detract from the campaign to save Sakine and others sentenced to death by stoning and execution.
2. Still the press release is a clear confirmation of the barbaric act of stoning saying only that the regime rarely carries out such sentences! The International Committee Against Executions and Stoning has a list of 13 people languishing for years in prison awaiting death by stoning. The real numbers are much higher.
3. The embassy’s press release says Sakine will not be stoned but it does not say what fate awaits her. They may execute her instead. The regime has retreated from stoning on a number of occasions in the past but has executed the accused instead. The execution of Abdulla Farivar in Sari prison for the alleged crime of sex outside of marriage is a case in point. Therefore, Sakine’s life is still in danger.
4. The aim of the campaign to save Sakine Ashtiani Mohammadi is for an official rescinding of her stoning and execution sentence and her unconditional release. Sex outside of marriage and the sexual relations of adults is their private affair. It is not a crime and must never be prosecuted.
5. The Islamic Republic of Iran must officially rescind the stoning and execution sentences of Sakine and all those facing stoning and execution and end the inhuman and barbaric punishment of stoning and execution.
6. Even this limited retreat is a success for Sakine and her children Sajjad and Faride as well as all the activists of the campaign against executions and stoning and decent people everywhere. Our campaign has shown that we can force the regime to back down. The embassy’s press release will not stop us from intensifying our powerful campaign. The retreat, however limited, has shown that the regime is under pressure.
I congratulate all those who have joined and supported our campaign for this limited success. I ask however that you step up your efforts for Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Mohammad Reza Hadadi (juvenile offender awaiting imminent execution), Zeinab Jalalian (sentenced to death for ‘enmity against God’) and others awaiting execution and stoning. Our pressure is working. We must intensify it until we secure a victory for the people of Iran by saving the lives of Sakine and others. We mustn’t stop until we deprive the regime in Iran of this tool for suppression and murder.
International Committee against Stoning and Execution
Mina Ahadi
8 July 2010
Notes:
1. For more information, contact:
Mina Ahadi
Telephone: 00491775692413
minaahadi@aol.com
www.notmoreexecution.wordpress.com
2. The London embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s press release on the matter can be found below:
In the Name of God
PRESS RELEASE
Considering the statements made by the Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt on an Iranian national, Mrs Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, and her execution, hereby this mission denies the false news aired in this respect and notifies the Ministry that according to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran, she will not be executed by stoning punishment. It is notable that this kind of punishment has rarely been implemented in Iran and various means and remedies must be probed and exhausted to finally come up with such a punishment.
It should be added that the stoning punishment has not been cited in the draft Islamic Penal Code being deliberated in the Iranian Parliament.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran highly recommends that news and reports should not be taken for granted and considered a reliable source of information for official statements or misjudgements.
Press Section
July 8, 2010
Mina Ahadi’s rebuttal of the press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning case
8 July 2010
With regards to the 8 July 2010 press release issued by the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London on the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani:
1. The Islamic Republic of Iran has retreated to some extent due to international pressure and widespread coverage received by the international campaign to save Sakine’s life. The main aim of the embassy’s press release, however, is to create doubt and detract from the campaign to save Sakine and others sentenced to death by stoning and execution.
2. Still the press release is a clear confirmation of the barbaric act of stoning saying only that the regime rarely carries out such sentences! The International Committee Against Executions and Stoning has a list of 13 people languishing for years in prison awaiting death by stoning. The real numbers are much higher.
3. The embassy’s press release says Sakine will not be stoned but it does not say what fate awaits her. They may execute her instead. The regime has retreated from stoning on a number of occasions in the past but has executed the accused instead. The execution of Abdulla Farivar in Sari prison for the alleged crime of sex outside of marriage is a case in point. Therefore, Sakine’s life is still in danger.
4. The aim of the campaign to save Sakine Ashtiani Mohammadi is for an official rescinding of her stoning and execution sentence and her unconditional release. Sex outside of marriage and the sexual relations of adults is their private affair. It is not a crime and must never be prosecuted.
5. The Islamic Republic of Iran must officially rescind the stoning and execution sentences of Sakine and all those facing stoning and execution and end the inhuman and barbaric punishment of stoning and execution.
6. Even this limited retreat is a success for Sakine and her children Sajjad and Faride as well as all the activists of the campaign against executions and stoning and decent people everywhere. Our campaign has shown that we can force the regime to back down. The embassy’s press release will not stop us from intensifying our powerful campaign. The retreat, however limited, has shown that the regime is under pressure.
I congratulate all those who have joined and supported our campaign for this limited success. I ask however that you step up your efforts for Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani, Mohammad Reza Hadadi (juvenile offender awaiting imminent execution), Zeinab Jalalian (sentenced to death for ‘enmity against God’) and others awaiting execution and stoning. Our pressure is working. We must intensify it until we secure a victory for the people of Iran by saving the lives of Sakine and others. We mustn’t stop until we deprive the regime in Iran of this tool for suppression and murder.
International Committee against Stoning and Execution
Mina Ahadi
8 July 2010
Notes:
1. For more information, contact:
Mina Ahadi
Telephone: 00491775692413
minaahadi@aol.com
www.notmoreexecution.wordpress.com
2. The London embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s press release on the matter can be found below:
In the Name of God
PRESS RELEASE
Considering the statements made by the Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt on an Iranian national, Mrs Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, and her execution, hereby this mission denies the false news aired in this respect and notifies the Ministry that according to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran, she will not be executed by stoning punishment. It is notable that this kind of punishment has rarely been implemented in Iran and various means and remedies must be probed and exhausted to finally come up with such a punishment.
It should be added that the stoning punishment has not been cited in the draft Islamic Penal Code being deliberated in the Iranian Parliament.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran highly recommends that news and reports should not be taken for granted and considered a reliable source of information for official statements or misjudgements.
Press Section
July 8, 2010
Two days of action against Sakine’s stoning in Toronto, Canada
Torontonians were witnessing the campaign against Sakine Mohamad Ashtiani on 3 & 4 July in their millions participants at Gay Pride Parade days this year.
Iran Solidarity along with other groups as “Mission Free Iran”, P2E activists and “Iranian Civil Rights communities” had two days of informative tables including Banners, Posters, Photo exhibition, Flyers, Petition to sign. Petition was aimed at condemnation of Sharia Law in Iran which it violates human rights and gay rights in a brutal manner as stoning, execution, torture, rape, imprisonment for idea and many more in Islamic Republic of Iran.
We gathered about 3000 signatures in our petition which would be sending to UN Human rights Commission.
Majority of people thanked not only our activities but also us personally doing that. They felt the struggle of their own and thanked as for doing that from their behalf.
At the end of two whole days of hard struggle all groups’ participants promised to continue united struggle in the same direction hand in hand in future.
Mehran Mahbobi
Iran Solidarity in Toronto, Canada
8 July
Letter to Mina Ahadi and all those campaigning for Sakine from her son
To Mrs. Ahadi, her colleagues, and all of those who in the USA, Germany and other countries who have endeavored to help those convicted on political grounds: Accept my greetings and gratitude.
I who write this letter, Sajjad Ghader-zade, 22 years old, want to first of all tell you about my mother and the way she was convicted.
My mother, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, was arrested in the city of Oskoo on charges of adultery. She was prosecuted in the Oskoo criminal court. My mother and Mr. Naser and Mr. Ali Nojumiha were each sentenced to 99 lashes there, and the sentences were fully served at the executive office on everyone convicted in this case. Then as to why the case was sent to Branch VI of Eastern Azerbaijan retribution court in Tabriz for review, I have no idea. Here my mother’s case was reviewed by five judges, after which Mr. Imani, the head of Branch VI, and two of his colleagues, based on their own wisdom sentenced my mother to death by stoning, while two others found my mother innocent of the charges and stated this verdict clearly. Mr. Mostafayi (Sakineh’s lawyer) says there are a lot of uncertainties and doubts in this case. Mr. Mostafayi refers to two judges in the panel who clearly stated that there was neither evidence nor legal grounds whatsoever in the file to sentence Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, and the existing indications and evidence could not provide basis for any assumptions by the panel, and one accused should not stand trial twice on the same charge. The case was then sent to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately upheld the sentence. This was a summary of the case but I want to point out other uncertainties regarding the case. We have traveled more than 6 times to Tehran to visit Mr. Larijani, or Khamenei, or Ahmadi-Nezhad, and written more than a hundred times to them but have not received any response, so I have no option but reaching out to them this way. I want to ask the country’s authorities a few questions and hope they hear me.
First of all: Mr. Larijani! Why has an accused have been twice prosecuted on the same charge while even according to the Islamic criminal law a convict should be prosecuted for a crime once and not more than once?
Second: Mr. Larijani! You are the head of the country’s judiciary, how come the country’s judges do not take your orders seriously? Mr. Shahrudi had, in an amendment, ordered the country’s judges to ban stoning sentences, yet contrary to this order, judges still issue stoning sentences. Why, in our case for instance, did Mr. Imani, despite lack of evidence and proof, issue my mothers’ stoning sentence? If he is motivated by his wisdom, I must ask what the basis for that wisdom is. If he is demonstrating his wisdom, was Mr. Imani present when my mother committed the crime against which he issues a verdict with such decisiveness?
Third: When Mr. Mostafayi, via Mehr media outlet, interviewed Mr. Yusefi, the general director of Oskoo’s provincial justice department, the latter claimed that there was no sentence served in this case in Oskoo’s jurisdiction, but I was present when this was done. I ask the head of justice department why a judge like Yusefi, who himself issued a sentence, denies the execution of his own verdict?
These are three questions which should be answered. But I, as an Iranian citizen who has not succeeded to get an audience with your office, to you, the head of the judiciary, who through the TV networks day in and out announces that justice must prevail and the officials guilty of misconduct will be punished, say that there is no justice in this country, and your justice is only as just as the misconduct of judges of the country who are not corrected by you. I ask you: Has justice been served in my mother’s case? Can you answer to these three questions?
I ask you to send the letter of my mother’s pardon to Tabriz and return my mother’s life back to her. I hope that you see to it that justice in my mother’s case prevails, for thanks to your judges’ wisdom, my mother is in a bad psychological state, and in 5 whole years has been imprisoned without a day of permission [ed note – a day of leave from the prison].
I have now said all that should have been said; my mother and I are asking the people of the world to help us, and are deeply grateful for what has been done thus far.
Many thanks,
Sajjad Ghader-Zadeh
I who write this letter, Sajjad Ghader-zade, 22 years old, want to first of all tell you about my mother and the way she was convicted.
My mother, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, was arrested in the city of Oskoo on charges of adultery. She was prosecuted in the Oskoo criminal court. My mother and Mr. Naser and Mr. Ali Nojumiha were each sentenced to 99 lashes there, and the sentences were fully served at the executive office on everyone convicted in this case. Then as to why the case was sent to Branch VI of Eastern Azerbaijan retribution court in Tabriz for review, I have no idea. Here my mother’s case was reviewed by five judges, after which Mr. Imani, the head of Branch VI, and two of his colleagues, based on their own wisdom sentenced my mother to death by stoning, while two others found my mother innocent of the charges and stated this verdict clearly. Mr. Mostafayi (Sakineh’s lawyer) says there are a lot of uncertainties and doubts in this case. Mr. Mostafayi refers to two judges in the panel who clearly stated that there was neither evidence nor legal grounds whatsoever in the file to sentence Mrs. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, and the existing indications and evidence could not provide basis for any assumptions by the panel, and one accused should not stand trial twice on the same charge. The case was then sent to the Supreme Court, which unfortunately upheld the sentence. This was a summary of the case but I want to point out other uncertainties regarding the case. We have traveled more than 6 times to Tehran to visit Mr. Larijani, or Khamenei, or Ahmadi-Nezhad, and written more than a hundred times to them but have not received any response, so I have no option but reaching out to them this way. I want to ask the country’s authorities a few questions and hope they hear me.
First of all: Mr. Larijani! Why has an accused have been twice prosecuted on the same charge while even according to the Islamic criminal law a convict should be prosecuted for a crime once and not more than once?
Second: Mr. Larijani! You are the head of the country’s judiciary, how come the country’s judges do not take your orders seriously? Mr. Shahrudi had, in an amendment, ordered the country’s judges to ban stoning sentences, yet contrary to this order, judges still issue stoning sentences. Why, in our case for instance, did Mr. Imani, despite lack of evidence and proof, issue my mothers’ stoning sentence? If he is motivated by his wisdom, I must ask what the basis for that wisdom is. If he is demonstrating his wisdom, was Mr. Imani present when my mother committed the crime against which he issues a verdict with such decisiveness?
Third: When Mr. Mostafayi, via Mehr media outlet, interviewed Mr. Yusefi, the general director of Oskoo’s provincial justice department, the latter claimed that there was no sentence served in this case in Oskoo’s jurisdiction, but I was present when this was done. I ask the head of justice department why a judge like Yusefi, who himself issued a sentence, denies the execution of his own verdict?
These are three questions which should be answered. But I, as an Iranian citizen who has not succeeded to get an audience with your office, to you, the head of the judiciary, who through the TV networks day in and out announces that justice must prevail and the officials guilty of misconduct will be punished, say that there is no justice in this country, and your justice is only as just as the misconduct of judges of the country who are not corrected by you. I ask you: Has justice been served in my mother’s case? Can you answer to these three questions?
I ask you to send the letter of my mother’s pardon to Tabriz and return my mother’s life back to her. I hope that you see to it that justice in my mother’s case prevails, for thanks to your judges’ wisdom, my mother is in a bad psychological state, and in 5 whole years has been imprisoned without a day of permission [ed note – a day of leave from the prison].
I have now said all that should have been said; my mother and I are asking the people of the world to help us, and are deeply grateful for what has been done thus far.
Many thanks,
Sajjad Ghader-Zadeh
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
UK acts against stoning this Friday, 9 and caravan Saturday 10 July
Iran Solidarity will be protesting outside the IRI embassy in London on Friday evening from 5pm against the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani and in memory of the student uprising in Iran in 1999. Members of IS will stage a stone-in act.
IRI embassy, 16 Prince's Gate SW7 1PT
Friday, 9 July
5pm
On Saturday 10 July Iran Solidarity will be doing a caravan through London against stoning in Iran. We will be meeting at 2pm on Trafalgar Square to do a stone-in act and then move towards other points in London staging more stone-in acts and to raise awareness of Sakine's sentence.
If you are interested to join us this Saturday or to stage your own acts against stoning please contact us:
iransolidarityuk@gmail.com or call 07507978745
IRI embassy, 16 Prince's Gate SW7 1PT
Friday, 9 July
5pm
On Saturday 10 July Iran Solidarity will be doing a caravan through London against stoning in Iran. We will be meeting at 2pm on Trafalgar Square to do a stone-in act and then move towards other points in London staging more stone-in acts and to raise awareness of Sakine's sentence.
If you are interested to join us this Saturday or to stage your own acts against stoning please contact us:
iransolidarityuk@gmail.com or call 07507978745
CNN coverage of Sakine's case
A report on Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani's stoning sentence and interview with Mina Ahadi from the International Committee against Stoning
CNN report and interview with Sakine's son Sajjad who campaigns for his mother's release
CNN report and interview with Sakine's son Sajjad who campaigns for his mother's release
Iran Solidarity against Sakine's stoning sentence
The following Iran Solidarity branches have so far organised to protest against Sakine's sentence over the next week and these will also coincide with the protests on the anniversary of the student upraising in Iran in 1999:
Malmo, Sweden
Friday 9 July
4.30pm
Davidshalls Bro
organised by IS, International Federation of Iranian Refugees and Committee for the Defence of women's rights in Iran
Contact: Hasan Salehi +46 703171102 or Farideh Arman +46 703638088
Stockholm, Sweden
Friday 9 July
4.30pm
Sergelstorg
Sydney, Australia
Sunday 11 July
11am - 1pm
outside City Hall
We must not let them stone Sakine
The Islamic regime of Iran will decide on Sakine Mohamadi Ashtiani’s stoning case on Saturday 10 July. Even though the sentence was final and her stoning imminent, they will be meeting to discuss it given the public outrage and condemnation.
You can help by keeping the pressure on. Here are a few things you can do:
Sign the petition.
Send messages of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email
(Put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred box, and email address in third. Paste appeal in large box)
Put pressure on other governments to condemn the stoning and urge Sakine’s release.
Take stones to public places and leave them there with messages of solidarity for Sakine and against stoning.
Here is some background information on her case:
Guardian article, which quotes Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Stoning.
Letter from Sakine’s two children calling for public support.
We must not - will not - let them stone her.
You can help by keeping the pressure on. Here are a few things you can do:
Sign the petition.
Send messages of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri, Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
(Put given name in first starred box, family name in second starred box, and email address in third. Paste appeal in large box)
Put pressure on other governments to condemn the stoning and urge Sakine’s release.
Take stones to public places and leave them there with messages of solidarity for Sakine and against stoning.
Here is some background information on her case:
Guardian article, which quotes Mina Ahadi of the International Committee against Stoning.
Letter from Sakine’s two children calling for public support.
We must not - will not - let them stone her.
Monday, 5 July 2010
What isn't wrong with Sharia law?
To read Maryam Namazie's piece published today in the Guardian's legal website called: What isn't wrong with Sharia law? click here.
On 11 July place stones in public places with messages in support of Sakine and against stoning
11 July is the International Day against Stoning – a day we would do well to mark especially given that Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani faces imminent death by stoning for adultery.
During the week of 5-11 July, take stones to your city centres, universities, workplaces, and put them in a public place, with a message in support of Sakine and against stoning and executions. Ask people to send letters of protest and sign the petition opposing it. Send in any photos to be included on the Iran Solidarity blog.
Let's end this once and for all.
BTW, here is a photo of an act Maryam Namazie had done a while back when Sakine was first sentenced:
During the week of 5-11 July, take stones to your city centres, universities, workplaces, and put them in a public place, with a message in support of Sakine and against stoning and executions. Ask people to send letters of protest and sign the petition opposing it. Send in any photos to be included on the Iran Solidarity blog.
Let's end this once and for all.
BTW, here is a photo of an act Maryam Namazie had done a while back when Sakine was first sentenced:
Juvenile offender faces execution in Iran on 6 July
PLEASE READ AND HELP:
See the latest video of Mohammadreza's father explaining that he has been given notice to visit his son for the last time as he is to be executed in Adel Abad prison in Shiraz this Tuesday July 6th 2010 (Tehran time).
Normally executions are carried out early in the morning which means there is just over 24 hours to take action.
His father says that at the time of the offence (see below), Mohammad Reza was 3 months shy from his 15th birthday. His father has told news reporters that Mohammad Reza’s sister had set herself on fire from the anguish of knowing that her brother could be executed. She is crippled for life and she is in hospital. Their mother has been seriously ill for quite some time. It is a real tragedy for the entire family.
After reading the background scroll down on the page and see how you can help.
Stop Child Executions
See the latest video of Mohammadreza's father explaining that he has been given notice to visit his son for the last time as he is to be executed in Adel Abad prison in Shiraz this Tuesday July 6th 2010 (Tehran time).
Normally executions are carried out early in the morning which means there is just over 24 hours to take action.
His father says that at the time of the offence (see below), Mohammad Reza was 3 months shy from his 15th birthday. His father has told news reporters that Mohammad Reza’s sister had set herself on fire from the anguish of knowing that her brother could be executed. She is crippled for life and she is in hospital. Their mother has been seriously ill for quite some time. It is a real tragedy for the entire family.
After reading the background scroll down on the page and see how you can help.
Stop Child Executions
Friday, 2 July 2010
Join global day against Sakine Ashtiani's stoning in Iran today
On 2 July come out wherever you are against stoning and the death penalty and demand Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani's release.See the below CNN report on her imminent stoning, which quotes Mina Ahadi. As an aside, in the below reportm the US State Department says that the punishment does not fit the crime! As if any crime deserves the death penalty. But that is the response you can expect from governments that commit state sponsored murder.
End the death penalty now!
By Moni Basu, CNN
July 2, 2010 -- Updated 0043 GMT (0843 HKT)
Sakineh Ashtiani was sentenced to death on adultery charges
Mother of two will be killed using a "barbaric" method, says her Tehran lawyer
He says she was forced to confess under duress
(CNN) -- Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, is waiting to die in Iran by a method of execution described by her lawyer as "barbaric" -- stoning.
She will be buried up to her chest, deeper than a man would be, and the stones that will be hurled at her will be large enough to cause pain but not so large as to kill her immediately, according to an Amnesty International report that cited the Iranian penal code.
The 42-year-old woman from the northern city of Tabriz was convicted of adultery in 2006, and her execution is imminent, said prominent human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei.
Ashtiani was forced to confess after being subjected to 99 lashes, Mostafaei said Thursday in a telephone interview from Tehran.
She later retracted that confession and has denied wrongdoing. Her conviction was based not on evidence but on the determination of three out of five judges, Mostafaei said. She has asked forgiveness from the court but the judges refused to grant clemency.
Iran's supreme court upheld the conviction in 2007.
Mostafaei believes a language barrier prevented his client from fully comprehending court proceedings. Ashtiani is of Azerbaijani descent and speaks Turkish, not Farsi.
The circumstances of Ashtiani's case make it not an exception but the rule in Iran, according to Amnesty International, which tracks death penalty cases around the world.
"The majority of those sentenced to death by stoning are women, who suffer disproportionately from such punishment," the human rights group said in a 2008 report.
On Wednesday, Amnesty made a new call to the Iranian government to immediately halt all executions and commute all death sentences. The group has recorded 126 executions in Iran from the start of this year to June 6.
"The organization is also urging the authorities to review and repeal death penalty laws, to disclose full details of all death sentences and executions and to join the growing international trend towards abolition," the statement said.
In Washington, the State Department criticized the scheduled stoning, saying it raised serious concerns about human rights violations by the Iranian government.
"We have grave concerns that the punishment does not fit the alleged crime," Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley said Thursday. "For a modern society such as Iran, we think this raises significant human rights concerns."
Calling Iran's judicial system "disproportionate" in its treatment of women, Crowley said, "From the United States' standpoint, we don't think putting women to death for adultery is an appropriate punishment."
Human rights activists have been pushing the Islamic government to abolish stoning, arguing that women are not treated equally before the law in Iran and are especially vulnerable in the judicial system. A woman's testimony is worth half that of a man.
Article 74 of the Iranian penal code requires at least four witnesses -- four men or three men and two women -- for an adulterer to receive a stoning sentence, said Mina Ahadi, coordinator for the International Committee Against Stoning. But there were no witnesses in Ashtiani's case. Often, said Ahadi, husbands turn wives in to get out of a marriage.
Mostafaei said he could not understand how such a savage method of death could exist in the year 2010 or how an innocent woman could be taken from her son and daughter, who have written to the court pleading for their mother's life.
The public won't be allowed to witness the stoning, Mostafaei said, for fear of condemnation of such a brutal method. He is hoping there won't be an execution.
Mostafaei, who himself did jail time in the aftermath of the disputed presidential elections in June 2009, said he realizes the risk of speaking out for Ashtiani, for fighting for human rights. But he doesn't let that deter him.
He last saw Ashtiani five months ago behind bars in Tabriz. Since then, he said, he has been searching for a way to save her from the stones.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
London protest against stoning sentence of Sakine
Iran Solidarity UK will be protesting in front of the Islamic regime's embassy in London against the stoning sentence of Sakine Mohammadi Ashtiani this Friday 2 July between 6-9pm. Come and join us to protest against this cruel state-sponsored murder in Iran.
Friday 2 July
IRI embassy
16 Prince's Gate
London SW7 1PT
6-9pm
Contact: iransolidarityuk@gmail.com
mobile 0750 7978745
Friday 2 July
IRI embassy
16 Prince's Gate
London SW7 1PT
6-9pm
Contact: iransolidarityuk@gmail.com
mobile 0750 7978745
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