14 Year Old Iranian Girl Sentenced To Stoning

International TV English with Maryam Namazie on http://www.anternasional.tv/english

* Urgent Campaign to save Zhila, a 14 year old girl!

* Condemn Stoning in Nigeria and Iran!

* Fatemeh’s Execution postponed. We must continue our campaign till Fatemeh is freed

See International TV English with Maryam Namazie NOW ON SUNDAYS

On http://www.anternasional.tv/english

Topics covered on week of Sunday 17 October 2004 English programme are:

Stoning sentence of a 14 year old girl in Iran and three others in Nigeria; illegality of the war on Iraq; the Palestinian question; and socialism

In this week’s TV International English Programme, Maryam Namazie interviews Sohaila Sharifi on the stoning sentence of a 14 year old girl in Iran and three others in Nigeria; Issam Shukri on the illegality of the war on Iraq; Hamid Taqvaee on a viewer question regarding the Palestinian question; and Fariborz Pooya and Bahram Soroush on viewer comments regarding socialism.

The programme is broadcast via satellite TV every Sunday from now on from 8:30-9:30pm Tehran time (5:00-6:00pm London time) on Satellite: Telstar 12, Centre Frequency: 12608 MHz, Symbol Rate: 19279, FEC: 2/3, Polarization: Horizontal. You can also see the programme on its website throughout this week: http://www.anternasional.tv/english. TV International/English is a weekly hour-long news analysis and commentary programme that focuses on the Middle East and rights and freedoms from a progressive and Left standpoint. The programme also plays music selected by Mona Razani, the programme’s VJ.

Prior to the English programme, Maryam Namazie also hosts a half-an hour long Farsi programme as well as an hour and a half long Persian programme on Mondays from 8:00-9:30pm Tehran time (5:00-6:00pm London time) on Satellite: Telstar 12, Centre Frequency: 12608 MHz, Symbol Rate: 19279, FEC: 2/3, Polarization: Horizontal. You can also see the programme on its website throughout this week: http://www.newchannel.tv.

For more information or to comment on the programme, please send an e-mail to m.namazie@ukonline.co.uk or call +44 (0) 7719166731.

* Urgent Campaign to save 14 year old girl’s life!

We informed viewers in yesterday’s programme that Zhila, a 14 year old girl who lives in city of Marivan, was sentenced to death by stoning for having sex outside of marriage. She is now in prison, having given birth to a child, which was taken away from her. As a result of intense pressures, the Islamic Republic of Iran has now announced that she was not sentenced to stoning but given an alternative punishment. We know what ‘alternative sentences’ means. Atefeh Rajabi, a 16 year old girl was recently hung in public for ‘acts incompatible with chastity’.

Zhila must be released immediately! She has committed no crime.

We continue to urge our viewers to exert pressure on the Islamic regime of Iran to release Zhila and her brother.

Moreover, Nigerian courts have also sentenced two women, Hajar Ebrahimi and Daso Adamo, to death by stoning. Civilization should not allow such cruelty. We must rise up against this inhuman and barbaric method of punishment.

The International Committee Against Stoning, is determined to put an end to stoning. Yes, we can do it. But we must be prepared to put great public pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran and on the Government of Nigeria.

We therefore urge all Human Rights organizations, all Children Rights organizations and all individuals to support the International Committee Against Stoning in its demands for:

• The immediate abolition of stoning

• The removal of any legal punishment for extra-marital relations, especially those applied under Sharia law

• The immediate release of Zhila, Hajar and Daso, and their safe transfer to a country of their choice, if they wish to.

By signing this petition, you show your opposition to death by stoning and punishment of sexual relations outside of marriage. Your support will strengthen the defence of human rights and the help to end stoning as a punishment.

Mina Ahadi

Coordinator

The International Committee Against Stoning

Recommended actions:

• Write to the Iranian President Mohammad Khatami demanding:

- Immediate abolition of stoning and all other forms of punishment for extra-marital relations and all other Sharia laws;

- Immediate release of Zhila the 14-year-old girl and all those imprisoned for extra-marital relations;

Email: khatami@president.ir Fax: 0098 21 649 5880

Write to the Nigerian President Ousegun Obasanjo:

- Immediate abolishment of stoning law and all other Sharia laws

- Immediate annulment of Hajar Ebrahimi and Daso Adamo’s stoning sentence

Address: The Presidency

Federal Secretariat, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, Nigeria

Tel: +234-9-2341010

Fax: +234-9-2341733

Email: presidency@nopa.net

* Fatemeh’s Execution postponed

We must continue our campaign till Fatemeh is freed

13/10/04

Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh, a 33-year-old woman has been sentenced to death (an eye for an eye) for killing her husband who had lost her 15-year-old daughter in a gambling match and had planned to rape her. Fatemeh was supposed to be executed this week. It was announced today that her execution has been postponed.

Following the report of the news of her execution, a series of protest actions by Amnesty International and Organisation for Women’s Liberation-Iran (OWL) got on the way. An international campaign was organised by OWL to save fatemeh’s life. On Monday Mina Ahadi, the international secretary of OWL met with representatives of EU’s Human Rights Commission, Charles Whitley and May Ann Ramsey regarding Fatemeh’s case. By contacting the representative of the Human Rights Commission of the German Parliament, Mina urged these international bodies to condemn the execution and put pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran to abolish the death penalty.

An international campaign has also been organised to gather signatures on a petition to protest against violation of women’s rights and execution of Fatemeh. This campaign continues till Fatemeh is released.

Sign our online petition. Help us to put an end to the death penalty in Iran. Help us to save Fatemeh.

What you can do:

1- Sign our petition on line:

http://www.petitiononline.com/OWLI/petition.html

2- Send the sample letter of protest (below) to the Iranian authorities. Send your letters of condemnation to: Khatami@president.ir

3- Send your letters condemning the execution of Fatemeh to your government, European Union (ewl@womenlobby.org), United Nations (daw@un.org) and Human Rights organisations.

4- Ask your organisation to sign our petition and send it to us.

5- Support our campaign to save Fatemeh. Send your donations to:

Medusa, Lloyds TSB, Cheshunt Branch, 8 Manocroft Pde, College Rd, Cheshunt, Herts, EN8 9LR, UK

Account number: 0972959 Sort code: 30-99-86

The Organisation for Women’s Liberation-Iran

PO Box 42300, London N12 0WY, England

Tel: +44-7789801250 Fax: +44-8701358385

m.kousha@ukonline.co.uk

Please see below for the Letter/Petition:

Letter of protest against Fatemeh Haghighat-Pajouh’s death penalty

To: Khatami, president of Islamic republic of Iran

To: the United Nations

To: the European Union

I/We have been informed by the Organisation for Women’s Liberation – Iran of the distressing news of a 33-year-old woman being condemned to death by the Supreme Court in Iran.

I/We strongly protest against the execution of Fatemeh. I/We condemn the Iran’s Supreme Court’s decision and demand Fatemeh’s immediate release. Fatemeh is the victim of violence against women and young girls. She must be freed immediately and the sentence of death penalty be abolished in Iran.

Regards

Maryam Namazie

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