[women-rights] Iran: Death sentences discriminatorily applied to women

OMCT Appeals
29/1/2003

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Case IRN 280103.VAW
Two Women Executed By Iranian Government

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in 
the following situation in Iran.

Brief description of the situation

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable 
source of the execution of Zahra Bagh-Shirin and Farahnaz Youli, two women 
accused of killing a man, and the confirmation of the death sentence of 
Kobra Rahmanpour.

According to the information received, both Zahra Bagh-Shirin and Farahnaz 
Youli were accused of killing a man and were executed by hanging on January 
12, 2003 after spending four years in jail. The executions took place in 
the south of Iran, in Gachsaran. The death sentences were carried out under 
a law which provides that any woman who kills a man will be executed while 
a man who kills a woman will not be executed, under the theory that a 
woman's "blood money" is worth half that of a man.

The death sentence of Kobra Rahmanpour, aged 20, was also upheld that week 
and has been transferred to the "Sentence Implemention Office" to be 
carried out.

OMCT is deeply concerned about the discriminatory application of criminal 
punishments in Iran, with women being sentenced to more harsh punishment 
than men for committing the same crime, namely murder.

OMCT recalls that it is strongly opposed to the death penalty, as an 
extreme form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and a violation of 
the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights and other international human rights instruments. Furthermore, the 
government of Iran is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil 
and Political Rights, which prohibits the discriminatory application of 
laws based on sex.

Actions requested

Please write to the Irani authorities urging them to:

i. commute the death sentence of Kobra Rahmanpour;

ii. guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Kobra Rahmanpour;

iii. amend Irani legislation as a matter of priority, in order to abolish 
the death penalty;

iv. amend Irani laws which discriminate on the basis of sex, in particular, 
laws that provide for harsher punishments for women than men for committing 
the same crime;

v. ensure in all circumstances the full respect of human rights and 
fundamental freedoms in accordance with national and international standards.

Addresses:

* Leader of the Islamic Republic, His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed `Ali 
Khamenei, The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, 
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Email: webmaster@wilayah.org;

* President, His Excellency Hojjatoleslam val Moslemin Sayed Mohammad 
Khatami, The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, 
Islamic Republic of Iran, E-mail: khatami@president.ir

* Head of the Judiciary, His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, 
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, Faxes: 
+ 98 21 879 6671 (unreliable; please mark "care of Director of 
International Affairs, Judiciary")

* Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Kamal Kharrazi, Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdolmajid Keshk-e Mesri Av, Tehran, Islamic 
Republic of Iran, Faxes: + 98 21 390 1999 (unreliable; please mark "care of 
the Human Rights Department, Foreign Ministry)

* Abdolvahed Moussavi-Lari, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the 
Interior, Dr Fatemi Avenue, Tehran, Iran, Fax: + 98 21 896 0203

* Parliamentary Committee, Mohsen Mirdamadi Najafabadi, Article 90 
Commission, Majles-e Shura-ye Eslami, Imam Khomeini Avenue, Tehran, Islamic 
Republic of Iran, Faxes: + 98 21 646 1746


Please also write to the embassies of Iran in your respective country.

Geneva, 28 January 2003

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal 
in your reply