[Active-l] (ACTION ITEM) Iranian woman to be executed in claimed case of self-defense against rape

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

	Iranian authorities have convicted a now-18-year-old woman on a charge 
of murder and sentenced her to death in a case she describes as 
self-defense against a would-be rapist. She was 17 at the time. The 
judge disregarded her testimony of self-defense; under Iranian law, a 
woman's testimony is only worth one-half that of a male witness. Her 
two male friends were busy running away, so did not see the actual 
event, but their testimony appears to have been held as contradictory 
to hers, and because they are men, superiour. The judge also brought in 
assertions that the medical examiner reported she was not a virgin, 
and, if the translation of the original article is correct, held that 
over her head - as well as allegations that she had run away from home. 
However, the judge's opinion that she was a "bad girl" appears to be 
clear in the only original-source translated newspaper article I have 
been able to find, here:

	http://save.nazanin.googlepages.com/original

	Her name is Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, and if the Supreme Court of Iran 
confirms the lower court's decision, they will execute her shortly 
afterwards. Here is Amnesty International's writeup of this and several 
other teen-death-penalty cases, all of which they are protesting.

	http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130052006

	This website lists action items:

	http://save.nazanin.googlepages.com/home

	Mostly at this point people are hoping for protests from enough other 
countries that she is not executed. If you are going to do something, 
do it soon. Her case is reportedly up for review this week.

					- Dara


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