Anti-Stonning protest planned in front of Iran's Interests section in Washington

The following received from: The Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR) CHAIRNGO@aol.com

JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST STONING OF WOMEN IN IRAN

On 11 August 1997, Zoleykhah Kadkhoda was arrested, charged with engaging in sexual relations outside marriage, and immediately sentenced to death by stoning. Under the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, any form of association or friendship between the sexes outside marriage is punishable by flogging, imprisonment, forced marriage and stoning to death. Thousands of women have been killed by this revolting exercise of violence and suppression under the rule of the Islamic regime in Iran.

CALL FOR AN END TO THE CRIMINAL ACT OF STONING

CONDEMN THE IRANIAN REGIME'S PERSECUTION OF WOMEN

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1997

12:30 - 1:00 pm

Interest Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran

at the Embassy of Pakistan 2209 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C.

organized by: The International Campaign in Defense of Women's Rights in Iran - U.S. Committee The International Federation of Iranian Immigrants and Refugees Councils The Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR)

On 11 August 1997, Zoleykhah Kadkhoda, of the town of Bukan in western Iran, was arrested, charged with engaging in sexual relations outside marriage, and immediately sentenced to death by stoning. On the same day, Kadkhoda, age twenty, was buried from waist down and savagely stoned. Due to mass protests by enraged local residents, the regime's mercenaries were forced to stop the stoning. Kadkhoda, severely injured on her face and body, was then taken to the hospital. The opposition of the people of Bukan resulted in the regime's insinuation that she will be given amnesty if she survives.

Pursuant to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Penal Code was passed in 1991. Under the penal code, any form of association or friendship between the sexes outside marriage is punishable by flogging, imprisonment, forced marriage and stoning to death. For adultery, the penal code accords stoning or flogging depending on whether the accused are married or unmarried. The law stipulates the size of the stone which must be used in stoning to ensure maximum suffering of the accused: "In the punishment of stoning to death, the stones should not be too large so that the person dies on being hit by one or two of them; they should not be so small either that they could not be defined as stones."

Statistics on death by stoning are obviously difficult to obtain, though even one instance of the barbaric act is indefensible. During the first five years of the Khomeini regime, the government proclaimed that 500-600 women were put to death by stoning. Based on information from human rights organizations and news reports, thousands of women have been killed by this revolting exercise of violence and suppression under the rule of the Islamic regime in Iran.

Stoning is a particularly cruel and inhuman form of punishment, but it is just one example of gross human rights violations in Iran, as widely documented by international organizations and governmental reports. The Iranian government has established and violently maintains a legal, social and economic system of gender-apartheid with no evidence of improvement. Severe gender-based discrimination is legalized, institutionalized and brutally enforced.

The people of Bukan clearly demonstrated their opposition to stoning by acting to save Kadkhoda's life. The Committee for Humanitarian Assistance to Iranian Refugees (CHAIR) and the International Campaign in Defense of Women's Rights in Iran appeal to you to support the struggle of millions of women in Iran for their basic human rights by:

calling for an end to the criminal act of stoning condemning the Iranian regime's persecution of women

Please sign and send the attached resolution or your letters to:

Leader of Islamic Republic: Ayatollah Khamenei The Presidency, Palestine Avenue Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran, Iran Fax: 98-21-650203 (via Interior Ministry, ask for fax to be forwarded)

President: Mohammad Khatami The Presidency Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran, Iran Fax: 98-21-674790 (via Foreign Affairs, ask for fax to be forwarded)

Head of Judiciary: Ayatollah Yazdi Ministry of Justice Park-e Shahr Tehran, Iran Fax: 98-21-6465242

Minister of the Interior: Abdollah Nouri Ministry of the Interior Dr. Fatemi Avenue Tehran, Iran Fax: 98-21-899547/ 650203

"Ambassador": Faramarz Fathnejad Interest Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy of Pakistan 2209 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 Tel: (202) 965-4990 Fax: (202) 965-1073

Resolution

Condemnation of the Stoning of Women in Iran

Whereas in Iran,

- Women are denied their basic human rights, including the right to choose their clothing, the right to associate with men, the right to divorce, the right to equal custody of their children, the right to freely travel and the right to enter the educational field or profession of their choice; - Women face state-sponsored gender apartheid and gender-based persecution; - Women are arrested, imprisoned, tortured and executed for transgressing Islamic rules by refusing to comply with restrictions on their rights; - Women accused of adultery are arrested, kidnaped, and stoned; - Stoning is a recurrent form of punishment against women, the most recent exercise of this barbaric act committed against Zoleyhka Kadkoda on 11 August 1997 in the town of Bukan.

Thus,

- We condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for its systematic abuse of women's rights and its unabated suppression, torture and criminal acts against women;

- We condemn the barbaric act of stoning, a crime against humanity which is in violation of all human rights conventions; - We support the struggle of millions of women in Iran for their basic human rights.

Signed,

_________________________ signature

_________________________ printed name

________________________ organization name

Related links

* THE IRANIAN Opinion page
* THE IRANIAN By the way page
* Iran News page
* Complete list of Iranian online media