Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The hope of Iran's women - to hang ["Religion of Peace" alert]
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 12/19/04 | Alasdair Palmer

Posted on 12/18/2004 9:22:17 PM PST by saquin

"My mother doesn't visit me in prison. If you see her, tell her she promised to bring me cheese curls and chocolate. And she shouldn't forget to bring my red dress."

Those pathetic words may be among the last utterances of a 19-year-old girl, identified only as Leila M, who has been condemned to death in Iran for "acts incompatible with chastity".

According to Amnesty International, Leila has a mental age of eight. What evidence there is of her life so far records an existence of unrelieved misery and brutality.

She was sold into prostitution at the age of eight by her parents. She recalls the experience of when her mother "first took me to a man's house" as "a horrible night. I cried a lot … but then my mum came the next day and took me home. She brought me chocolate and cheese curls."

Forced by beatings and threats to continue "visiting men" from that night onwards, she became pregnant and had twins when she was 14. She was punished with 100 lashes by the Iranian courts for giving birth to illegitimate children.

Leila was bullied back into her degrading and demeaning work. Earlier this year, she confessed to the authorities that she had been working as a prostitute since she was a child – perhaps because she thought that they might help her escape her miserable existence.

The courts did respond by pulling Leila out of prostitution, but they also imprisoned her and used her confession to convict her of "moral crimes", for which the judges have decided the appropriate penalty is death.

They dismissed evidence from doctors and social workers that she has a severe mental handicap. This week, Iran's Supreme Court, which by law must confirm every death sentence imposed by the lower courts, will rule on whether to uphold her execution.

There is every indication that the Supreme Court will decide that Leila must die. Earlier this year, they upheld a sentence of death on 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi. Atefeh had also been convicted of "acts incompatible with chastity".

In her defence, she said she had been sexually assaulted by an older man. The judges did not care. So, on August 16, at 6am, Atefeh was taken from her cell and hanged from a crane in the main square of the town of Neka.

Witnesses report that she begged for her life as she was dragged kicking and screaming to the makeshift gallows. She shouted "repentance" over and over again – a gesture which, according to Islamic law, is supposed to grant the accused the right to an immediate stay of execution while an appeal is heard.

Atefeh's cries were in vain. Haji Rezaie, the judge who presided over her trial, put the noose around her neck himself. He said he was pleased to do it. "Society has to be kept safe from acts against public morality," he insisted.

He ordered that her body be left hanging from the crane for several hours so people could see what happened to teenagers who "committed acts incompatible with chastity".

In the case of Hajieh Esmailvand, a young woman found guilty of adultery with an unnamed 17-year-old boy, the Supreme Court has not only confirmed the death sentence imposed by the lower court, but changed the means of death from hanging to execution by stoning.

Hajieh's original sentence had been for five years' imprisonment followed by death by hanging. A month ago, the Supreme Court annulled her jail sentence – but only so that Hajieh could be stoned before December 21, and with the recommendation that she should be.

In the next two days, it seems likely that Hajieh will die from wounds caused by stones thrown by "executioners". The Iranian Penal Code states that women should be buried up to their breasts before being stoned. Article 104 is specific about the type of stones that should be used when a woman is to be punished for adultery. They "should not be large enough to kill the woman by one or two strikes, nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones". Hajieh will die slowly, in agony, buried in sand, as officials lob correctly sized stones at her head.

It is a fate that also awaits Zhila Izadyar, a 13-year-old girl from the northern province of Mazandaran. She has been sentenced to be stoned to death after her parents reported that she had had an incestuous relationship with her 15-year-old brother and had become pregnant by him.

Zhila has already received a "preliminary punishment" of 53 lashes. A representative from Iran's Society for the Protection of Children's Rights has managed to visit Zhila in prison. She found the 13-year-old in a desperate state, in solitary confinement and unable to keep down food. She has not been allowed to see her child.

"I am scared. I want to go home," said Zhila. "I want to go back to school like the other children." But if Iran's judges have their way, Zhila will see neither her school nor her home again. She will be buried up to her neck and the last thing she will see will be stones hurtling towards her head.

The barbarity towards children of the Iranian legal system is all the more surprising in that it contradicts the international legal obligations on the treatment of children, which the Iranian government has adopted. Iran is a signatory both to the International Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, both of which explicitly forbid the execution of minors - let alone their killing by stoning.

Even Iran's chief justice has seemed to recognise that, although stoning is prescribed by Sharia law as the punishment for women who have sexual relations with men to whom they are not married, pelting a woman to death with rocks counts as excessively cruel.

Two years ago, he ruled that, while stonings should still be the nominal punishment for adultery and pre-marital sex, that sentence should be routinely commuted to execution by hanging.

It appears from the fate in store for Zhila Izadyar, however, that his commitment to the de facto abolition of stoning was about as sincere as the Iranian government's commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There are no plans to change any of the provisions of the Penal Code that relate to children, and which state that girls as young as nine can be executed (boys have to reach the age of 14 before they can be killed).

Many Iranians are revolted by the brutality and injustice of their judges' attitude to children. Shadi Sadr, an extremely brave lawyer who represents Atefeh Rajabi's family, has filed a suit against the judiciary for wrongful execution, and is preparing a murder charge against the judge who hanged her.

While fundamentalist mullahs still hold on to power in Iran, her suit is unlikely to succeed. Indeed, those who are disgusted by judicial decisions cannot even safely express their condemnation of a system that not only hangs children, but beats them to death in public: Kaveh Habibi-Nejad, a 14-year-old boy, suffered this fate on November 12 for eating on the streets during Ramadan. A witnesses said that they thought he died because "the metal cable being used to flog him hit his head".

Mahbobeh Abbasgholizadeh, an Iranian academic, was arrested on November 1 after having queried some aspects of Iranian justice in a speech she made at a conference. She was held for a month before being released and charged with "acting against the security of the country". If she is convicted, it could mean an indefinite prison sentence.

The European Union has said that it is ready to "intensify" political and economic ties with Iran if the Iranian government takes steps to allay international concerns over its involvement in terrorism and the abuse of human rights. But the Islamic administration seems to care more about protecting what many of the religious hierarchy regard as "divinely ordained justice" than achieving fresh political and economic concessions from the EU.

Britain, France and Germany, acting on behalf of the EU, have already agreed to further trade links with Iran, after Tehran agreed to suspend its uranium-enrichment process, which could yield material suitable for nuclear bombs.

For Hajieh Esmailvand and Zhila Izadyar, the prospects are bleak. The best they can hope for is to die by hanging rather than being stoned. As for the mentally retarded Leila M - she seems likely to hang in public before Christmas.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iran; muslims

1 posted on 12/18/2004 9:22:17 PM PST by saquin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: saquin

I submit that if we overran this filthy nightmare of a country, and killed all those responsible for perpetrating this sort of horror, and simply kidnapped and enslaved all the women of Iran, they would be better off than they are now.

They need a dose of Imperial Rome.


2 posted on 12/18/2004 11:10:48 PM PST by fire_eye (Socialism is the opiate of academia.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: saquin

Diabolical.


3 posted on 12/18/2004 11:15:03 PM PST by Canticle_of_Deborah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fire_eye

"They need a dose of Imperial Rome.


They need a dose of Team America F*ck Yeah!

I can't even read this article. These people are beyond belief. If this be Armageddon I say BRING IT ON! It is worth any price to rid the world of this disease called "Islam".


4 posted on 12/18/2004 11:15:27 PM PST by jocon307 (Jihad is world wide. Jihad is serious business. We ignore global jihad at our peril.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: saquin
This is so disgusting...in the philosophical, not scatalogic, sense.

Kudos to Amnesty Int'l for taking the time to research stuff like this (and not just criticize America for everything).

5 posted on 12/18/2004 11:22:12 PM PST by MIT-Elephant ("Armed with what? Spitballs?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jocon307

The only way this blood cult is going to be changed is when it's erased from the face of the earth.
Unfortunately the will isn't there to do what is nessesary, so we will probably be the ones erased eventualy. Every day we call it a "religion of peace" is a step closer to that end.


6 posted on 12/18/2004 11:24:21 PM PST by Nuzcruizer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Nuzcruizer

"...we will probably be the ones erased eventualy..."

BAD ATTITUDE! TAKE HEART!


7 posted on 12/18/2004 11:29:12 PM PST by jocon307 (Jihad is world wide. Jihad is serious business. We ignore global jihad at our peril.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jocon307
"These people are beyond belief."

These are not "people". They are monsters with no compassion, no sense of justice, and no redeeming qualities whatsoever. They purpetrate these horrors and other abuses on women from Iran to Afganistan/Iraq (still) to Pakistan to Egypt to Saudi Arabia to Sudan to France to Britain to Holland to Amercia to Indonesia to Malaysia to Philippines to Kashmir and on and on it goes. Yes, we've seen cases of gentital mutilation of young girls here in the US and Europe.

I doubt there is a continent un-molested by these sub-humans. I'm starting to lose my patience.

8 posted on 12/18/2004 11:43:17 PM PST by A Navy Vet (You're a "Moderate" Muslim? Fine, speak out against your radicals and give them up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: saquin

I have been a long time opponent of the US policing the world, but I reaching a point with these monsters, and their enablers, that we may be justified in wiping out as many as possible. If there is such a thing as a honestly true "moderate" Muslim, they better start speaking out before the West goes ballistic on them. The following is an example of "moderate" Muslims in America.

"Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."

"One of the challenges is understanding the totality of Islam. Don't come up with an opinion and find out the things that support it in Islam. Everything we need to know is in the Koran. We don't need to look somewhere else."
Omar M. Ahmad, chairman of the board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), San Ramon Valley Herald July 4, 1998

CAIR: Organizer of holy warriors

Since 9-11, CAIR, a spin-off of the Islamic Association For Palestine, has seen three of its former employees indicted on federal terrorism charges.

Randall Todd "Ismail" Royer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges he trained in Virginia for holy war against the United States and sent several members to Pakistan to join Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Kashmiri terrorist group with reported ties to al-Qaida.

In a plea bargain, Royer claimed he never intended to hurt anyone but admitted he organized the holy warriors after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.

After his arrest, Royer sought legal counsel from Hamas lawyer Stanley Cohen, who said after 9-11 he would consider serving as a defense lawyer for Osama bin Laden if the al-Qaida leader were captured.

Another CAIR figure, Bassem Khafagi, was arrested in January 2003 while serving as the group's director of community relations. The previous December, Ghassan Elashi, the founder of CAIR's Texas chapter, was indicted for financial ties to Hamas leader Musa Abu Marzook.

Current CAIR leaders also have made statements in support of Hamas and the domination of the U.S. by Islam.


9 posted on 12/18/2004 11:49:19 PM PST by A Navy Vet (You're a "Moderate" Muslim? Fine, speak out against your radicals and give them up!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: A Navy Vet

'These are not "people".'

You know, I actually felt bad using the word "people", I wanted to write monsters. Maybe I should have been gramatically correct and said "persons", they are quite beyond comprehension, whatever they are, blood soaked murderers is all.

I too am losing patience with the entire enterprise. It seems this evil has been festering for centuries.

Ack, I could go on and on, but if I said what I really think no doubt I would get banned for life. Wouldn't want to risk that! FR is my life.

Have a Merry Christmas, Navy Vet, we're NAVY in this family too. My dad, and my mom's dad, my brother in law, so good on ya, and thanks!

We shall keep on kicking the butt of the Religion of Pieces into 2005, God willing!


10 posted on 12/18/2004 11:52:39 PM PST by jocon307 (Jihad is world wide. Jihad is serious business. We ignore global jihad at our peril.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: saquin
this is why we fight..this is what the dem's want for us

i say bomb until no muslim nutjob breathes air on earth

11 posted on 12/18/2004 11:55:21 PM PST by MetalHeadConservative35 (RIP Dimebag Darrell Of Pantera/Damageplan...Were gonna F-ing Miss you)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: saquin; All
I am oh! so deadly serious about the title:

Islam, The Alleged Religion of Peace® ( TARP™ )? Click this picture:


12 posted on 12/19/2004 12:28:10 AM PST by backhoe (-30-)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: saquin
Two years ago, he ruled that, while stonings should still be the nominal punishment for adultery and pre-marital sex, that sentence should be routinely commuted to execution by hanging.

And the liberals are against abstinence education........calling it a horrible crime against society. Maybe they should be all moved to Iran and then they can better understand things (assuming they survived.)

13 posted on 12/19/2004 3:04:49 AM PST by Robert357 (D.Rather "Hoist with his own petard!" www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1223916/posts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson