An Update on Iran Stoning Case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and her Lawyer Houtan Kian

Press Release 6
For Immediate Release
8 July 2011

According to a recent report received by the International Committee against Stoning, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani remains in Tabriz Central Prison. Ashtiani and her family, namely her son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, are not permitted to have contact with International media outlets.

After arresting her son, Sajjad, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, the Islamic Republic of Iran exerted pressure on them and aired a programme on the state-run Press TV in which Ashtiani was forced to ‘describe’ her role in her husband’s death. Ashtiani and her son were under the impression that they would be released after the airing of the film. This was not the case and Ashtiani remains in prison and her situation remains uncertain.

The International Committee against Stoning has received reports from within the prison that Ashtiani has attempted suicide as a result of the pressures exerted on her. Last month, Mousa Khalil Elahi, Prosecutor of Tabriz, said that Sakineh was given regular visitation rights with her family, was healthy and well and that her case has not changed and would take its legal course. He said reports published by the International Committee against Stoning stating the contrary were untrue.

Clearly, Sakineh Mohammadi Asthiani is being hostage by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The authorities have stated that they will not review her file. The regime hopes for protests to die down so it can go ahead and ‘punish’ her. The danger of death by stoning still hangs over her head.

Moreover, we have received reports that Ashtiani’s lawyer, Houtan Kian, has received a four and a half year sentence. It has been said that Houtan has lost 20 kilos (44 pounds) in weight as a result of his serious mistreatment and torture in prison. He is also diabetic and has high blood pressure. Initially it was reported that he had been sentenced to eleven years in prison. Then they announced that he was to be sentenced to death for allegedly having two identity cards and for his left-leaning activities. After Houtan Kian sent out a letter from prison about his situation and asked for public support, there were widespread international protests against the sentence, after which the latest news being that the court in Tabriz has sentenced Houtan Kian to four and a half years in prison.

The International Committee against Stoning reiterates its call for citizens of the world to protest against these unjust rulings, and demand an end to stoning and the immediate release of Sakineh, Houtan Kian and others waiting stoning sentences. Stoning is absolute barbarity and must be banned immediately and everywhere.

According to Mina Ahadi, Spokesperson of the International Committee against Stoning, ‘Stoning is a crime and an act of terror against women. We indict the Islamic Republic of Iran for its crimes against humanity.’

Today, Sakineh has become a symbol against stoning and of protest against the Islamic regime of Iran. Once more on 11 July, the International Day against Stoning, we will bring global attention to the barbaric practice of stoning.

The campaign to save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has brought the world out in opposition to the brutal Islamic regime in Iran. Civilised humanity has spoken out loud and clear. Enough is enough. We will not allow anyone else, for whatever excuse, to be stoned anywhere in the world again.

Not one more!

NOTES:

For an update of events, statements and actions on 11 July

For more information on 11 July

Contact:
Mina Ahadi
International Committee against Execution
International Committee against Stoning
Email: minaahadi@aol.com
Tel: 0049 (0) 1775692413

11 July event covered in Washington Post

To see a piece in the Washington Post on 11 July, click here.

Update on One Law for All

Dear friend

Successful debate on Sharia law in Britain at House of Commons

One Law for All and the National Secular Society held a successful debate on sharia law at the House of Commons on Tuesday 28 June 2011 chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick MP. One Law for All co-spokespersons Maryam Namazie and Anne Marie Waters spoke against sharia law and called for an end to its practice under the Arbitration Act 1996 whilst Aina Khan, a Sharia lawyer, and Omer El-Hamdoon, President of the Muslim Association of Britain spoke in favour. Keith Porteous-Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society made closing remarks.

The event was over-subscribed and the audience included members of Parliament, journalists, and representatives of women’s rights and other groups. Prior to the debate, One Law for All wrote to every MP and Peer and included a copy of One Law for All’s report entitled ‘Sharia Law in Britain; A Threat to One Law for All and Equal Rights.’

You can find audio links to the debate here. A follow up meeting will be arranged to accommodate greater audience numbers.

Upcoming events and speaking engagements

11 July 2011 is the International Day against Stoning. Please join us in demanding an end to the barbaric practice of death by stoning and demanding the release of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and others facing stoning sentences. You can find more information here. Please note that Anne Marie or I will be speaking on Sharia at the Nozstock Festival during 29-31 July, in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia during the last two weeks of August 2011 and at the conference on secularism on 10 September. You can find out more about the various speaking engagements here.

Third edition of One Law for All’s International Art Competition

The third edition of One Law for All’s international art competition, Passion for Freedom, will take place at UNIT24 Gallery London during 29 October – 5 November 2011. This year's edition will present selected works from artists and writers whose work is mainly concerned with human rights and one secular law for all citizens. Competition judges include Polly Toynbee (Writer and Columnist), Francisco Laranjo (Artist and Head of School of Arts at Porto University) and Deeyah (Singer and Composer). Passion for Freedom invites submissions from visual artists involved in painting, sculpture, drawing, print, photography, mixed media, installation and video. You can find terms and conditions, submission forms, archive images from last year's edition and more here.

Support us

If you haven’t already signed up to the One Law for All campaign, please join the over 27,800 people and groups that have done so here.

For your information, see the prominent personalities and groups that support One Law for All, including Southall Black Sisters, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Gita Sahgal, Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan, PZ Myers and Polly Toynbee.

Let me thank each and every one of you who has donated to our important. We wouldn’t have come this far without your support. If you’d like to donate or become a 100Club member, visit here. Every little does go a long way in the fight against Sharia and for secularism and rights.

Warmest wishes
Maryam Namazie
One Law for All Spokesperson

Mansoor Hekmat's name will endure through the ages

My beloved Mansoor Hekmat died on 4 July 2002 and so I believe it is important to pay tribute to him on this day.

It is no exaggeration to say that I still think of him all the time.

I don't think anyone has had such a profound impact on my life. And it's not about hero worship though he is truly my hero.

He once said that society seeks out its Left and holds its Left in high esteem because it needs justice, and so it is that I and entire generations in Iran and the region in particular have sought him out and hold him in the highest regard.

It's because we need justice. We demand it.

Engels' speech at Highgate Cemetery on March 17, 1883 about Karl Marx rings true about Mansoor Hekmat as well. He said: 'An immeasurable loss has been sustained... The gap that has been left by the departure of this mighty spirit will soon enough make itself felt… He died beloved, revered and mourned by millions… His name will endure through the ages, and so also will his work...'

***

Here is a link to his works.

On 'improper veiling' and women's resistance

Every now and again, the Islamic regime in Iran renews its efforts to combat ‘improper veiling.’ Most recently one mullah has said that improper veiling has 'spread to villages' and would lead to the 'refusal of religion itself.'

Compulsory veiling is one of the first things the regime imposed when it secured power after suppressing the 1979 Iranian revolution. Its first target was women. In February 1979, Khomeini announced the suspension of the Family Protection Law. On March 3, he announced that women could no longer be judges. On 4 March, he said that in Islam the right to divorce was the prerogative of the husband. On March 6, he announced that women were to wear the hejab in the workplace and on and on it went from there.

On March 8, International Women’s Day, when thousands poured onto the street in opposition to these new rules, they were pushed back by brute force. The hezbollah herds attacked women with the slogan ‘ya rusari ya tusari’ – ‘either veiled or beaten.’

More than thirty years on, the regime still struggles to impose veiling, and is faced with a ‘female’ revolution and resistance.

Women fight back all the time, even though improper veiling is dealt with imprisonment and fines (including absurdly a fine of $15 for having sunglasses on top of your head, $30 for wearing a short gown or manteau, $30 for wearing a light-coloured gown or manteau, £4.50 per nail for nail varnish, and $40-125 for having light-coloured hair...)

Here is a video of a woman resisting arrest for improper veiling. She screams ‘leave me alone’ and the crowd comes to her aid:



In this one, while she resists, she is eventually arrested:



BTW here is a video of the 1979 protest against compulsory veiling, which still gives me goose bumps watching it. One of the slogans is ‘rights are universal, not western.’



But try explaining this to all the 'feminists' and pro-Islamist 'leftists' who speak of the 'right to veil.'

DAY OF ACTION: 11 July, International Day against Stoning

Dear friends

11 July, the International Day against Stoning, will soon be here.

As you know Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is still languishing in prison. The authorities recently mentioned her case saying that no final decision had yet been reached on her stoning sentence and that Sakineh must remain in prison. Falsely accused of murdering her husband, her only crime is that she is a woman in Iran. Her lawyer, Sajjad Houtan Kian, also remains in prison for having had the courage to defend her and other women with stoning sentences in Tabriz prison; he has been sentenced to four years imprisonment, been put under a lot of pressure and lost 20 kilos (44 pounds) as a result.

The campaign to Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been an important one. It has spoken out in defence of humanity, and against the barbaric punishment of stoning everywhere. It has mobilised immense pressure against and condemnation of the Islamic regime of Iran from millions across the globe. These are accomplishments we must all be proud of.

On 11 July 2011, the International Day against Stoning, let’s once again step up the pressure to demand Sakineh’s immediate release and an end to stoning. Join us by either standing in a city square with a photo or poster of Sakineh, tweeting, or by organising an act of solidarity or a flash mob to raise awareness and attention. On 11 July, in 100 cities worldwide, let us once again raise the banner of humanity against one of the barbarisms of our time.

We look forward to your action and support.

Warmest wishes
Mina Ahadi, International Committee against Stoning and Execution
Patty Debonitas, Iran Solidarity
Maryam Namazie, One Law for All

PLEASE ACT NOW!

1. Post your 11 July action and upload photos here on Facebook or email with details for posting. You can also tweet on the day (#sakineh #IDAS #11July #iran #humanrights).

2. Send letters of protest to the Islamic regime of Iran:

Head of the Judiciary
Sadeqh Larijani
Howzeh Riyasat-e Qoveh Qazaiyeh (Office of the Head of the Judiciary)
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Email: info@dadiran.ir or via website: http://www.dadiran.ir/tabid/75/Default.aspx
First starred box: your given name; second starred box: your family name; third: your email address
Head of the Judiciary in East Azerbaijan Province
Malek-Ashtar Sharifi
Office of the Head of the Judiciary in Tabriz
East Azerbaijan, Iran
Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street - Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Iran
Email: via website:(English) (Persian)
Secretary General, High Council for Human Rights
Mohammad Javad Larijani
Howzeh Riassat-e Ghoveh Ghazaiyeh
Pasteur St, Vali Asr Ave., south of Serah-e Jomhuri
Tehran 1316814737, Iran
Fax: +98 21 3390 4986
Email: bia.judi@yahoo.com

3. Write to government officials, heads of state, MEPs and MPs in your country of residence and the UN calling on them to intervene to demand Sakineh and Houtan Kian’s release and to cease recognition of a regime that stones people to death in the 21st century.

4. Donate to the Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani campaign by making your cheque payable to ‘Count Me In – Iran’ and sending it to BM Box 6754, London WC1N 3XX, UK. You can also pay via Paypal. We also are looking for volunteers to help with design, graphics, fundraising, and outreach so please contact us if you can help at actionforsakineh@gmail.com.

5. For more information, contact:
Mina Ahadi, International Committee Against Stoning and International Committee Against Executions, minaahadi@aol.com, 0049 1775692413

To the brave and revolutionary people of Syria

Your brave struggles with one of the most brutal repressions and regimes of our time have aroused admiration and solidarity in the people of the world. The people of Iran follow, however, with more enthusiasm and care of the attempts of Syrian women and men to get rid of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and the criminal ruling clique in Syria, since the regime of Syria is allied with the Islamic regime of Iran and the overthrow of either of them would cause a wave of happiness and success, in particular, among the oppressed people of these two countries.

Let me on behalf of the people of Iran, state that was in fact vanguard of the heroic revolutions in the countries of North Africa and Middle East by raising up against the Islamic regime in 2009, express my solidarity with you, the revolutionary people of Syria. We and the people of Iran condemn strongly appalling crimes of al-Assad’s regime and the army against you and are firmly standing by your side. We are all aware of the fact that the Islamic regime of Iran has done all that was within its power, and still is doing, to maintain al-Assad’s bestial regime and support criminal Islamic currents, like Hamas and Hezbollah. We have always condemned the axis of crime and terror, headed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and supported the struggles of the people of Palestine under the ruling of Islamic criminal gangs.

We believe that either in Cairo and Damascus or in Baqdad and Tehran or in Athens and Madrid, people have common interest and must be released from clutches of capitalism and dictators. So when you, under the fire of guns and tanks of Al-Assad’s regime, set fire to the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, you are at the same time speaking the Iranian people’s mind! To the extent that your revolutionary struggle would pull up the roots of dictatorship, reaction and rightlessness in Syria, that you would advance in establishing freedom, equality, welfare, and a secular state emerged from the revolutionary people’s will, to the same extent you would strengthen the struggles of the masses of people elswhere.

Here, I would like to take the opportunity to call upon the Iranian freedom-loving people abroad to express in every way their solidarity with the liberating struggles of the people of Syria, to enter the scene in defence of the Syrian revolution, and to condemn the atrocities of the regime of Syria against the people and the colaboration of the Islamic regime in bloody repression of the people of Syria. Showing an ever greater solidarity with the people of Syria would be at the same time a crushing response to the Islamic regime, its Syrian allied, and all those governments which openly or secretly supporting maintenance of al-Assad’s regime. Worker-communist Party of Iran, on its part, will work for strengthening of this solidarity.

On behalf of members and supporters of the Party and all those that are struggling for overthrow of the Islamic regime in Iran, I send our compliments to you, the heroic people of Syria, and eagerly wish you victory in your struggle for overthrowing al-Assad’s regime and in your cause.

Asqar Karimi
On behalf of
Worker-communist Party of Iran
June 23, 2011

No more spaces for 28 June Debate on Sharia Law in Britain

There are no more spaces available for the One Law for All and the National Secular Society debate on the use and practice of sharia law in Britain on Tuesday 28 June 2011 from 18.00-20.00 hours. The event will be chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick MP.

The focus of the debate is the practice of sharia law under the powers of the Arbitration Act 1996 and whether sharia tribunals should be permitted to hear cases of family and criminal law.

24-26 June conference in Italy

Maryam Namazie will be speaking on One Law for All at a conference in Genoa, Italy organised by Marea Feminist Review during 24-26 June. For more information, click here.

On Sharia Law: ‘We are not asking for charity, we are entitled to justice’

There is ample evidence to show that Sharia law’s family code is bad for women and children in particular.* Nontheless, there will always be those who will defend it for various reasons like apologists Mehdi Hassan and Nesrine Malike and Islamist Musleh Fardahi. Better that they do so openly so the battle lines become more clearly drawn.

I, and countless others like me, however, will continue to choose to defend women and human beings over religious laws any time, any day. This time, though, let the women of Algeria speak for me and us:

The above video ‘Singing for Change’ is against the introduction of Sharia law in the 1984 Algerian Family Code.

Here are the wonderful lyrics:

Women, words are no longer enough
We must cross the river because justice is discredited when the scales are weighted.
Oh people of Algeria, the truth is hidden
Women let me tell you of 20 years of madness.
In the congress of deceit of the year 1984
They got together and voted a law of oppression.
They stole women’s rights and parted; their minds at rest
They did as they pleased and took us for fools
What came over you judge, why are you afraid of me?
I weather all the storms, my words contain no venom.
Our marriage is decided by men.
We are forbidden to work and doors are closed to us.
With the family code, our wings are clipped.
We aren't asking for any favours; history speaks for us.
We are not asking for charity, we are entitled to justice.
What came over you judge, why are you afraid of me?
I weather all the storms, my words contain no venom.
Our voices rise today, for here a woman has no rights.
I’m telling you the story of what the powerful have done.
Of rules, a code of despair, a code obsessed with women.
Women come out of the dark; out of 20 years of trouble.
I brought up my children, they are now adults.
With one word, he repudiated me and sent me from the house.
Everything concerning my children is in the hand of the traitor.
My opinion is not taken into account, plus the pain and torment.
Judge, stop pursuing an unfounded fear.
Write that I want to experience my dignity now.
Family code committing the unspeakable.
Guardians pull the strings behind the weddings of the gazelle.
Oh my sister always under age
You’re called to order
Listen to this song, its tune will never change.
May the word spread, this law must be undone.
And never done again.
To those listening to this story, this situation can no longer be endured.
Today, as yesterday, it’s impossible.
Men, one hand cannot applaud; with you, the sun shines again and forever.
What came over you judge, why are you afraid of me?
I weather all the storms, my words contain no venom.

* See One Law for All’s report.