Iran
Torture and Execution of Women in Iran
Tens of thousands of women have been arrested on political charges
and severely tortured before being
executed. Many have simply died under torture. Pregnant women have
not been spared either. Hundreds of them have been executed with
their unborn child. This applies to women of all ages. Women are
ususally executed by Firing Squad or by hanging. Religious offences
are executed according to religious law, often leading to public stonings.
Recent executions of young women include that of Fetemeh Mesbah
and Mojgan Jamshidi, both aged just 13 years. ezzat Mesbah was just
15 and Mariam Moab was 16 when she was executed. All were 'force-married'
(raped) the night before their execution as the 'law' demands.
The names and particulars of thousands of executed
women are documented in the list of 14,000 victims of political
executions.
According to a "religious" decree virgin women prisoners must be
raped before execution. The night
before execution, a Guard conducts the rape. The next day, the
religious judge at the prison writes a
marriage certificate and sends it to the victim's family along
with a box of sweets.
Note (1) of Article 102 of the penal code on Ta'azirat (penitences)
states: "Women who appear on
streets and in public without the (prescribed) 'Islamic hijab'
will be condemned to penitences of 74
strikes of lash." Female government employees who violate the dress
code are also liable to temporary
suspension from work up to two years, expulsion and indefinite
deprivation of any employment in the
public service. In some cases, the punitive action leads to the
death of the women.
On September 2,
1993, in Tehran, Bahareh Vojdani, a 20-year-old girl, was stopped
by the vice squads for mal-veiling.
When she protested, the Guards pronounced a death sentence, led
her to a nearby wall and executed her as people were watching.
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