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Women’s Forum Against
Fundamentalism in
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2004
Public
Statement
Urgent Appeal to save a 13-year-old girl
from stoning in Iran
Boston, MA
– The fundamentalism regime of Iran is planning to stone a 13-year-old girl, Jila, in
the city of Marivan in coming days. Jila was raped and impregnated by
her brother and Iran’s clerical judge has sentenced her to death by stoning. According to
the Iranian regime's penal code, stoning is the punishment for those who commit
adultery. Jila did not commit adultery; rather she is a victim of rape.
The stoning in Iran is carried out as "the condemned are wrapped
head to foot in white shrouds and buried up to their waists. “ The
misogynous regime of Tehran even details the difference between the stoning of
men vs. women. “The female condemned are buried up to their neck to prevent
their escape.” Furthermore, "the stones are specifically chosen so they
are large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the condemned
immediately. They are guaranteed a slow, torturous death. Sometimes their
children are forced to watch.” No other government in the world practices
stoning as the Iranian regime.
Women’s Forum Against
Fundamentalism in Iran (WFAFI) calls upon the international community and human
rights organization to fight for Jila’s life and stop
Tehran’s regime from stoning her. Iran’s constitution does not offer women and young girls
any protection or due process in the court. There are no legal avenues open to
Jila to appeal the judge’s decision. For this reason, WFAFI urgently calls upon
Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the 2003
Nobel Peace Prize winner, to intervene on Jila’s
behalf and save her.
WFAFI also calls upon UNICEF to dispatch a fact-finding
mission on this case and save Jila. Gender violence in Iran is sharply rising and increasingly claiming younger
lives everyday.
###
WFAFI
P.O.Box 15205, Boston, MA 02215
Tel: (617) 590-1665
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