Public execution for teenagers convicted of rape

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Friday July 22, 2005 17:14 by Geoff Dolan

July 22, 2005
By Our Foreign Staff
Times Online UK

EXCERPT:

IRAN has publicly hanged two male teenagers convicted of raping a 13-year-old boy at knifepoint. After the Supreme Court upheld the verdict of child rape, they were executed on Tuesday in Edalat (Justice) Square in the city of Mashhad.

Atefeh, 16 yrs old, murdered by a dirty old 'judge'.

"The British gay rights group Outrage! has accused Iran of torturing the two into confessing that they had homosexual sex. It believes that the assault charges were a smokescreen to justify killing homosexuals.

Pictures of the hangings, on the ISNA student news agency website, showed the terrified young men crying as they were interviewed by state media in a lorry on the way to the gallows. Another picture showed hangmen in balaclavas tightening the nooses around their necks.



Iranian newspapers reported that the two were also given more than 200 lashes for theft and drinking alcohol. The press carried conflicting reports about the fate of three other men accused of involvement in the sexual assault. Qods newspaper said that they were still on the run, although the Mardomsalari daily reported that they had been jailed.

Mr Rezazadeh defended the two, saying they had not understood that gay relations and drinking were forbidden. Homosexuality is a crime in Iran, but the death penalty is normally reserved for murder, rape, armed robbery, adultery, drug trafficking and apostasy.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1703858,00.html"
END OF EXCERPT

Iran executes it's 'criminals' by hoisting them up by the neck using a crane. Last year, 2004, August 15th, a young girl of 16 was killed this way.Her crime; allegedly having sex outside of marriage.Atefeh Rajabi's family were unable to get a lawyer, so the girl had to represent herself in court. She further enraged the judge by telling him he should punish the perpetraters,not her. As a result, the judge, a specimen by the name of Hajii Rezaie, personally placed the rope on this girls neck. More info

http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/iranfem.html
According to Iran's constitution, Atefeh should have been given a lawyer, whether she could afford it or not.
Barbarism is barbarism and must be condemned wherever it takes place, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Guantanemo Bay, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, anywhere. To oppose human rights abuses does not make on anti Israeli or anti Muslim, it makes them a human being.

Iranian Embassy in Ireland.
Address;
72 Mount Merrion Avenue
Blackrock County Dublin. Phone, 01 2880252 01 2885881. Fax, 01 2834246