CRY FREEDOM.net
Welcome to cryfreedom.net,
formerly known as Womens
Liberation Front.
A website
that hopes to draw and keeps your attention for both the global 21th. century 3rd. feminist revolution as well
as especially for the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi uprising in Iran and the
struggles of our sisters in other parts of the Middle East. This online magazine
that started December 2019 will
be published every week. Thank you for your time and interest.
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JINA MAHSA AMINI
The face of Iran's protests. Her life, her dreams
and her death.
In memory of Jina 'Mahsa' Amini, the cornerstone of the 'Zan.
Zendagi. Azadi revolution.
16 February 2023 | By Gino d'Artali
And also
Read all about the assasination of the 22 year young Jhina Mahsa
Amini or Zhina Mahsa Amini (Kurdistan-Iran) and the start of the Zan,
Zendagi, Azadi (Women, life, freedom) revolution in Iran
2022
And the latest news about the 'Women Live Freedom' Revolution per month in
2024:
Feb wk1 - Jan wk5 --
Jan wk4 part2 --
Jan wk4 --
overview per month
and 2023:
Dec wk 5 part 2 -- Dec wk 5
--
Dec
week 4-3 --
Dec wk3
--
Dec 17 - 10
--
Dec week 2 and 1
--
click here for a menu overview November - Januari
2023
And for all topics below
that may hopefully interest you click on the
image:
'BIOLOGICAL |
'BLINDING |
CLICK HERE ON HOW TO READ ALL ON THIS PAGE
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Articles about: |
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When one hurts or kills a women
one hurts or kills hummanity and is an antrocitie.
Gino d'Artali
and: My mother (1931-1997) always said to me <Mi
figlio, non esistono notizie <vecchie> perche puoi imparare qualcosa da
qualsiasi notizia.> Translated: <My son, there is no such thing as so
called 'old' news because you can learn something from any news.>
Gianna d'Artali.
'THE JINA REVOLUTION'
Preface by Gino d'Artali - Dec 25, 2023
Dear reader, the, as I call it, Jina Revolution is alive and kicking
despite the ruthless oppression and killings by the mullahs' regime and
proof of that lays in my report as listed below but let me, with your
permission, first ask for your attention for the situation for Jina's
family and especially her mother
Mojgan Eftekhari,
who said the following:
my daughter <spread the dream of freedom from her hometown of
Kurdistan to the whole of Iran, the Middle East and the
world, mobilizing millions of oppressed women and men.>
<I firmly believe that her name will forever embody
freedom alongside Joan of Arc's name,> she added, in
referrence to a saint honored as a defender of the
French nation during the Hundred Years' War.>
Read more here:
JINA AMINI'S VOICE IS HEARD
despite the mullahs'
regime to force it down!
Roya Heshmati
"In the name of woman, in the name of life,
the clothes of slavery are torn, our black night will dawn, and all the
whips will be axed..."
Roya Heshmati whispered enduring 74 lashes for publishing
a photo without the mandatory hijab
Iranwire - 23 Jan 2024
<<Iranian Women Inmates to Launch Hunger Strike Against Death Penalty
In a defiant act of resistance against the Islamic Republic's clampdown
on dissent, 61 political and ideological women incarcerated in Tehran's
Evin prison are set to launch a hunger strike on January 25. The
protest, spurred by the execution of Mohammad Ghobalou and the plight of
hundreds of convicts on death row in Iran, aims to denounce the
increased use of capital punishment by the country's authorities. Jailed
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi shared the women prisoners'
message on her Instagram page. <The imprisoned women will resist in
order to keep the names of those executed alive and spare the lives of
the hundreds of individuals awaiting execution in the prisons of the
Islamic Republic. On January 20, they will express their protest through
a hunger strike.> Mohammadi wrote. The Mizan news agency, which is
affiliated with the judiciary, announced on January 23 that Ghobadlou, a
man who was handed capital punishment in 2022 for allegedly killing a
police officer during nationwide protests, had been executed. It was the
ninth execution reported by the authorities in connection with the Woman
Life Freedom movement.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/women/124611-iranian-women-inmates-to-launch-hunger-strike-against-death-penalty/
January 2024 - Read all about the brave women-led
'No-To-Execution'-Hunger-Strike-Movement
and one protester saying
"Our Sole Objective Is the Complete Overthrow of the Islamic Republic"
Bahareh Hedayat
Iranwire - 22 Jan 2024
<<Jailed Dissident Asks the Opposition to Respect Liberal Values
Bahareh Hedayat, a well-known human rights activist imprisoned in Iran,
has called for the downfall of the Islamic Republic, which she said is
conducting a civilizational war against the West. In a letter from
Tehran's Evin prison that was made available to IranWire, Hedayat says
that the consistent self-identification as <revolutionary> by the
Islamic Republic and its leader, Ali Khamenei, means an unwavering
commitment to war that has been accompanied by corruption, injustice,
killings, inefficiency and environmental degradation in the country.
<The Islamic Republic and Khamenei made a fundamental choice, the
consequences of which are destructive,. says Hedayat, who is serving a
four-year sentence for participating in protests after the Islamic
Republic Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a Ukrainian airliner in January
2020. Stressing the need for those endorsing liberalism in Iran to be
represented politically in the country, she calls for subversive groups
backing this political doctrine to unite and garner support from all
Iranians opposed to the Islamic Republic. She insists, however, that the
liberals should distance themselves from leftists, Islamists and the
authoritarian right. She urges liberal political forces to unify their
discourses and to strive for the establishment of distinct political
representation. <The liberal idea must attain a clear political identity
independent of the left, Islamism, and authoritarian right. Integration
is insufficient; we, as liberals, must stand independently,> she says.
<The liberal idea should be prepared for a coalition detached from other
ideologies.> Hedayat points out that a coalition between the left and
Islamism had led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, during which the
concepts of democracy or freedom were not discussed, and the
establishment of the Islamic Republic. Regarding Tehran's response to
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Hedayat highlights that Iranians
perceive the government's hostility toward Israel within the context of
the Islamic Republic's civilizational war with the West. She criticizes
political forces that fail to acknowledge this, asserting that such
forces are not alternatives to the current status quo but rather seek to
perpetuate it. Hedayat advocates for an alternative opposition force
rooted in Western values. In another segment of her letter, Hedayat says
that the protesters' demands during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom
uprising were in line with liberal ideas. <In the major political
movements in Iran over recent decades, one faction sought liberal
freedoms and aspired to align with the West,> she says, referring to the
women-led protest movement sparked by the death in police custody of
Mahsa Amini. <In my view, liberalism signifies a return to its roots, a
prelude to revolution, and the establishment of freedom,> the activist
stresses. Concluding her letter, Hedayat highlights two political models
within the realm of subversion, emphasizing that <constitutional
monarchy and republic both stem from the liberal idea.>
<Constitutionalism that questions democracy is not liberal, and a
republican who links their libertarian heritage to 1979 lacks an
understanding of the enemies of freedom,> she adds.
Hedayat's letter spanked widespread reactions among Iranian social media
users. <Bahareh Hedayat's letter stands as the manifesto for the Women,
Life, Freedom revolution. Make sure you read it thoroughly,> one post
reads. <I hope that Bahareh Hedayat's significant letter marks the start
of the organization of the right bloc within the Iranian opposition,>
another user said on the social media platform X. <When liberalism in
Iran is championed by intellectual warriors like Bahareh, I take pride
in being a liberal,> another Iranian wrote. <Her recent letter from
prison is worth multiple readings, prompts deep thought and extensive
analysis.> >>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/politics/124569-jailed-dissident-asks-the-opposition-to-respect-liberal-values/
Opinion by G. d'A.: Personally I've been an anarchist all my life and
will die as such and as an anarchist there are two political wings I
never trust: the neo-nazi rightwing and the liberals. It were and are
especially the first mentioned that, to quote A. Hitler, <Wollt Ihr den
Totalen Krieg (translated: 'Do you want the total war' and gave the
so-called 'scorched earth' meaning 'if we are to loose, let's burn
Germany down to ashes' which is what the, I believe, is the 'final
solution' the mullahs' regime has in mind if... But... there's a lot to
say in favor of what Bahareh Hedayat stands and pleads for and the fact
that she is since ever, and still even encarated in evin's prison, been
a women's rights activist and on the Zan, Zendegi, Azadi side says
enough. I'm on your side Bahareh Hedayat, all the way.
Iranwire - 12 Jan 2024
<<HRW: No End in Sight for Violent Repression in Iran
The Iranian authorities' <rutal repression>of peaceful dissent continues
unabated one year after nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini'
death in September 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says. The authorities
have also <consolidated their efforts to increase punitive measures
against women who refuse to wear the mandatory headscarf in public
spaces> , the New York-based group said in a statement on January 11
accompanying the release of its annual review of human rights around the
globe. <For many, everyday life in Iran feels like a battle with a
corrupt, autocratic government that has brought down the full force of
its repressive machinery to quash dissent,> said Michael Page, Middle
East deputy director.
<Iranian authorities should know that anything short of fundamental
change will only deepen public anger and frustration against their
mismanagement and brutality.> The Islamic Republic cracked down hard on
the monthslong protests sparked by Amini's death while she was in police
custody for an alleged hijab violation. More than 500 people were killed
and over 22,000 others were unlawfully detained in the clampdown,
activists say. Following grossly unfair trials, 25 death sentences were
issued in connection to the protests, HRW said. At least eight
protesters have been executed so far. <The authorities have refused to
open transparent investigations into security forces’ use of excessive
and lethal force, torture, sexual assault, and other serious abuses, and
have instead pressured families of victims to not hold public memorial
services,> HRW said.
<Scores of human rights defenders, journalists, members of ethnic and
religious minorities, and dissidents are serving lengthy sentences after
being convicted of national security charges in grossly unfair trials,>
it added. <Detained protesters have died in suspicious circumstances.>
Ahead of the protest anniversary, the authorities increased their
crackdown on dissent through <intimidation, arrests, prosecutions, and
trials of activists, artists, dissidents, lawyers, academics, students,
and family members> of those killed during the 2022 protests, according
to the group. The authorities also prosecuted women and girls who refuse
to wear a headscarf in public, issued traffic citations for passengers
without a head covering, and closed businesses that do not enforce the
Islamic Republic's strict dress code on their premises. In September
last year, parliament approved a draft Hijab and Chastity bill proposing
increased prison terms up to 10 years for expressing opposition to hijab
regulations, as well as restrictions on job and educational
opportunities for violators. HRW also said it had documented <far
harsher use of repressive tactics, including arbitrary arrests and
excessive use of force,> in ethnic and religious minority areas of
Kurdistan province and Sistan and Baluchistan province, which it said
have played leading roles during the 2022 protests.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/124286-hrw-no-end-in-sight-for-violent-repression-in-iran/
Iranwire - 12 Jan 2024
<<US Envoy Decries Death Sentences Against Kurdish Iranian Political
Prisoners
The US Office of the Special Envoy for Iran has condemned death
sentences handed down recently against four Kurdish Iranian men, and
urged the country's authorities to <repress their own people.> On
January 6, the Norway-based human rights organization Hengaw reported
that the Islamic Republic's Supreme Court had upheld the death sentences
for the four political prisoners aged in their 20s. Mohsen Mazloum,
Pezhman Fatehi, Vafa Azarbar and Mohammad (Hajir) Faramarzi had been
sentenced in the first instance by the Tehran Revolutionary Court for
allegedly collaborating with Israel, it said. <The Iranian regime
continues to use false accusations, forced confessions, and unfair
trials to silence political opponents and peaceful protestors,> US
Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley said on the social media
network X. <We call on Iranian authorities to release all unjustly
detained political prisoners and stop repressing their own people,> he
wrote. The four Kurdish convicts, who are members of the Komala Party of
Iranian Kurdistan, were arrested in West Azerbaijan Province in July
2022 <while trying to carry out an explosion in Isfahan's industrial
facilities,> state media reported the following month. The party called
the claims baseless, saying that <such a scenario has been proposed to
suppress more people and protesters.> Hengaw cited sources close to
their families as saying that their relatives have had no information
about their fate or whereabouts and no face-to-face meetings or phone
calls with them since their arrest, while their lawyer has not been able
to study the case. State TV has broadcast the forced confession of the
accused at least twice, the group added, while their families faced
threats from government institutions. The rate of executions in Iran has
been rising sharply in the wake of nationwide protests triggered by the
September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody for
an alleged hijab violation. The Iran Human Rights group said in November
that the Islamic Republic had executed more than 700 people in 2023, the
highest figure in eight years. Amnesty International says the regime in
Tehran executed more people than any other country in the world other
than China last year. Ethnic minorities in Iran, including Kurds, face
widespread discrimination in law and practice and are disproportionately
affected by death sentences imposed for vague charges, according to the
London-based human rights organization.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/124271-us-envoy-decries-death-sentences-against-kurdish-iranian-political-prisoners/
Iranwire - 10 Jan 2024
<<Tension High in Iran's Baluchestan after Attack on Police
Tension simmered in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and
Baluchestan on January 10 following reports of an armed clash near the
city of Rask. Local sources described hearing gunfire and explosions
near the village of Bidlad Jangal, located roughly two kilometers from
Rask, according to Haalvsh, an organization that monitors rights
violations in the restive province. Details remain scarce, but initial
reports suggest that an armed group attacked a police outpost at dawn.
State media said that at least one police officer was killed in the
attack. Hours later, the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl claimed
responsibility through a message on its Telegram channel. The statement
claimed the police had suffered <significant losses.> After the clash,
the authorities reportedly deployed extra forces to the area and blocked
roads leading to the site of the clash. Sistan and Baluchistan has been
the scene of similar attacks in the past. Last month, an official told
state television that at least 11 police officers were killed in an
attack on the police headquarters in Rask. This assault was also claimed
by the group Jaish al-Adl. Unrest in Sistan and Baluchistan province has
involved drugs-smuggling gangs, Baluch rebels and Sunni extremists. The
provincial capital, Zahedan, was the scene of months-long deadly
protests that erupted in September last year.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/124208-tension-high-in-irans-baluchestan-after-attack-on-police/
Iranwire - 10 Jan 2024
<<Iranian Man Arrested on Mahsa Anniversary Given Five Minutes to
Presents Last Defense
Iranian judiciary authorities have summoned Mehdi Towhidi, a protester
arrested on the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, to court for
his final defense. According to a reliable source, Towhidi faces charges
of <gathering and collusion to commit a crime against domestic and
foreign security,> <facilitating the means to commit a crime,> and
<being a member of a group with the intention of disrupting the
country's security.> Accompanied by a court-appointed lawyer, the
accused was given only five minutes by the prosecutor to present his
defense. Towhidi, a 27-year-old resident of Karaj, near Tehran, was
arrested on September 15 last year. Previously, a source informed
IranWire he had been held in solitary confinement at the Karaj
Intelligence Detention Center for 42 days, where he was subjected to
pressure to confess to the charges against him.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/prisoners/124202-iranian-man-arrested-on-mahsa-anniversary-given-five-minutes-to-presents-last-defense/
11 political activists
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - 9 Jan 2024
<<Tehran Court Sentences Eleven Political Activists to 95 Years and 8
Months in Prison
Tehran court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari in Branch 26, handed
down a cumulative sentence of 95 years and 8 months, coupled with
additional penalties, to eleven political activists residing in Tehran.
The individuals sentenced are Fatemeh Haqparast, Arsham Rezaei, Payam
Bastani Parisi, Hojatullah Rafei, Mohammadreza Kamraninejad, Vahid
Serkhgol, Kazem Alinejad Baranlou, Vahid Qadirzadeh, Maisham Gholami,
Ali Asghar Hasani Rad, and Saman Rezaei. According to a report received
by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights on Monday, January 8, 2024,
Arsham Rezaei received a 15-year sentence for four charges, Vahid
Sarghgol was sentenced to 16 years for three charges, and Kazem Alinejad
Baranlou received an 11-year sentence for three charges. Additionally,
Maitham Gholami and Vahid Ghadirzadeh received a combined 6 years in
prison for two charges, while Ali Asghar Hasani Rad received an 8-year
sentence along with 15 lashes for four charges. Saman Rezaei received a
5-year sentence for two charges. Furthermore, Fatemeh Haqparast Sohi was
sentenced to 8 months in prison, Payam Bastani Parisi received a 16-year
sentence for three charges, Mohammad Reza Kamraninejad was sentenced to
6 years for two charges, and Hojatullah Rafei received a 6-year sentence
for two charges. The court also imposed fines, a ban on staying in
Tehran and neighboring provinces, a prohibition on joining political,
social, and cultural groups, and the confiscation of phones and internet
modems seized from the defendants during the initial arrest.
Additionally, 93 million Tomans in cash seized during the arrest of
Arsham Rezaei and Ali Asghar Hasani Rad were ordered to be transferred
to the government fund.
The charges against these constitutionalist political activists include
allegations such as <insulting Islam in cyberspace,> <gathering and
collusion with the intention of disrupting the security of the country,>
<propaganda activity against the government,> and encouraging people to
engage in conflict and bloodshed. These political activists, some of
whom had faced arrests due to their activities in the past two years,
were apprehended by security forces in the fall of the previous year.
Subsequently, they were transferred to Evin and Great Tehran
Penitentiary.>>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2024/01/tehran-court-sentences-eleven-political-activists-to-95-years-and-8-months-in-prison
Mehdi Yarrahi 'Soroode zendegi' (Live's anthem)
Click here to listen to the song
Iranwire - 9 Jan 2024
<<Iranian Protest Singer Yarrahi Sentenced to Prison, Flogging
Mehdi Yarrahi, an Iranian singer who released a song last year
criticizing compulsory headscarf rules in the country, has been
sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, as well as 74 lashes,
his legal representative says. Lawyer Zahra Minoui announced on January
9 that the sentence was handed down by Branch 26 of the Tehran
Revolutionary Court. She did not say on which charges her client had
been convicted. Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code qualifies Yarrahi
for a one-year reduction of Yarrahi's prison term. The flogging sentence
sparked harsh criticism from human rights groups, which consider this
form of punishment as judicially-sanctioned torture. The country's
Islamic Penal Code provides for various corporal punishments, including
flogging, amputation, blinding, crucifixion and stoning. Yarrahi was
arrested in August last year and later released from custody after a
fellow artist posted a 15-billion-toman ($300,000) bond. Yarrahi was
arrested following the release of his song Roosarito, or Your Headscarf
in English, which was accompanied by a video showing women in various
social settings without their mandatory headscarves, some dancing to the
music. Yarrahi dedicated the song to the <brave women of Iran who shine
courageously at the forefront of the 'Women Life Freedom' movement,> a
reference to the monthslong nationwide protests sparked by the September
2022 death of Mahsa Amini while she was in police custody for an alleged
hijab violation. As a protest against the singer's arrest, Iranian
social media users posted and shared videos of their own dance
performances and renditions of his songs. Artists, political activists
and journalists also rallied behind the singer after his jailing.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/124169-iranian-protest-singer-yarrahi-sentenced-to-prison-flogging/
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - 6 Jan 2024
<<Three Kurdish protesters convicted of <canonical outlawed> an
allegation could result in death sentence
In the town of Bukan, three detainees associated with the <Jin, Jian,
Azadi> Movement, Kamran Soltani, Mohammad Faraji, and Rauf Sheikhmaroufi,
have been accused of <canonically outlawed> by the judiciary of the
Islamic Republic of Iran. These individuals, arrested during the Jin,
Jiyan, Azadi Movement protests last year. According to reports obtained
by the Hengaw organization for Human Rights, Kamran Soltani 21 years
old, Mohammad Faraji 21 years old, and Rauf Sheikhmaroufi 22 years old,
Kurdish residents of Bukan, are at risk of execution with the grave
allegations of <canonically outlawed>. Sources indicate that during
their interrogations at the Urmia Intelligence Detention Center, these
three detainees endured severe physical and psychological torture in an
attempt to extract forced confessions. Iranian security forces
persistently extend their detentions and exert pressure on these
detainees to portray them as involved in the killing of a government
official during last year's protests, seeking to impose heavy judicial
sentences on these protesters. Rauf Sheikhahmadi was arrested on the
evening of Tuesday, December 26, 2022, Mohammad Faraji on Tuesday,
February 21, 2023, and Kamran Soltani on February 27, 2023, all brutally
assaulted during detention by intelligence agents in Bukan and
transferred to the intelligence detention center. These individuals were
transferred to Bukan Central Prison on Friday, June 10, 2023, after
several months of interrogation and torture in the Urmia Intelligence
Detention Center, where they are currently held without specific
charges. It is important to note that Mohammad Faraji, initially
detained on Sunday, January 14, 2023, and released temporarily on
February 2, 2023, was arrested again by security forces just one week
after his temporary release. Hengaw had previously reported that, <Urmia
Intelligence forces contacted Mr. Mohammad Faraji as an ordinary person
with car problems and asking Mr. Faraji to diagnose their vehicle at a
specific location. He was immediately detained and located to an unknown
location by these forces upon arriving at the given address.> >>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2024/01/three-kurdish-protesters-convicted-of-canonical-outlawed-an-allegation-could-result-in-death-sentence
Iranwire - 8 Jan 2024
<<Iranian Woman Who Denounced Son's Arrest Faces Prison Term
An Iranian woman has been handed down a 10-month prison sentence
suspended for three years and a fine for protesting against the arrest
of her son by intelligence agents, a human rights website reported.
HRANA said on January 7 that the Criminal Court in Gorgan found
Fereshteh Mahdavi guilty of <disturbing public order and peace.> The
court changed a sentence of 50 lashes to a 10 million toman ($200) fine
payable to the government. Mahdavi was arrested on September 9 last
year, a day after her son Mohammad Reza Shoghi was beaten and taken into
custody by intelligence agents. She was held in Gorgan prison until her
release on bail in late October. Shoghi was also temporarily released on
bail in November after being charged with <gathering and collusion.> The
case highlights the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Iran, where
individuals face harsh punishments for peacefully expressing their
grievances.>>
Source:
https://iranwire.com/en/women/124140-iranian-woman-who-denounced-sons-arrest-faces-prison-term/
Nirwana Torbati Nezhad
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - 8 Jan 2024
<<Gorgan: Nirwana Torbati Nezhad, an Underage Protestor Sentenced to
Detention
A teenager identified as Nirwana Torbati Nezhad from Gorgan is sentenced
to 10 months of detention and pecuniary punishment by the judicial
system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.This The arrest took place during
the Woman, Life, Freedom (Jin, Jiyan, Azadi) movement anniversary in
September 2023. According to a report received by the Hengaw
Organization for Human Rights, 17-year Nirwana Torbati Nezhad from
Gorgan was sentenced to 10 years of penal detention and pecuniary
punishment of 2 million Iranian Toman under the charges of <propaganda
against the government> and <gathering and collusion.> This verdict was
issued in the 5th Branch of the Gorgan Criminal Court, presided over by
Judge Abedi.
According to a reliable source connected to Nirwana's family, this
teenager suffered infections and inflammatory symptoms due to being held
in solitary confinement. Nirwana Torbati Nezhad has been blindfoldedly
interrogated in clandestine detention centers for up to 5 hours, leading
her to pass out on multiple occasions.>>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2024/01/gorgan-nirwana-torbati-nezhad-an-underage-protestor-sentenced-to-detention
Roya Heshmati
Hengaw Organisation for Human Right - 6 Jan 2024
<<Implementation of Inhumane Sentence: Kurdish Activist Roya Heshmati
Subjected to 74 Lashes in Tehran
The inhumane sentence of 74 lashes for Roya Heshmati, a Kurdish female
activist from Sanandaj residing in Tehran, was carried out at the
District 7 Prosecutor's Office in Tehran. Violence was employed by
officers against Roya Heshmati before administering the flogging due to
her removal of the scarf. According to a report received by Hengaw
Organization for Human Rights, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, the 74
lashes sentence of 33-year-old Roya Heshmati was executed after she was
summoned to the first branch of the District 7 Prosecutor's Office in
Tehran. Earlier this year, she was sentenced by the judicial system of
the Islamic Republic of Iran to one year of suspended prison, 74 lashes,
and a three-year ban from leaving the country. This sentence was imposed
due to her act of publishing a photo without the mandatory hijab on
Keshavarz Boulevard in Tehran. In her account of the incident, Roya
Heshmati revealed that an employee of the sentence execution branch
threatened to intensify the flogging and open a new case against her for
removing the scarf. She likened the execution site to a <medieval
torture chamber.> The activist, who opposes compulsory hijab, detailed
how a female officer forcibly placed a scarf on her head and described
being flogged on her shoulder, back, buttock, and leg. Roya Heshmati
shared her experience, stating: <I didn't count the blows; I was
chanting in the name of the woman, in the name of life. The clothes of
slavery were torn; our black night dawned; all the whips were axed.> The
right to choose one's type of clothing is emphasized in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The use of flogging by the
judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran contradicts
international human rights principles, as flogging is considered an
inhumane, cruel, and degrading act. Article 7 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights explicitly prohibits the
implementation of such punishments.
Hengaw has translated Roya Heshmati's article, shared on her Facebook
page with the hashtag <Jin, Jiyan, Azadi>, into English, which is
presented below:
This morning, I received a call from the sentencing execution office to
carry out the 74-lash sentence. I promptly contacted my lawyer, and
together we proceeded to the 7th district court. Upon entering, I chose
to remove my hijab. Inside the hall, the echoes of a woman's distress
emanated from the staircase, possibly indicating her imminent sentence
execution. My lawyer advised me, <Roya, reconsider. The repercussions of
the lashes will endure for a long time.> We proceeded to the first
branch of the sentence execution office. An employee there suggested I
put on my headscarf to avoid trouble. Calmly and respectfully, I
conveyed that I came specifically for the lashes, and I would not yield.
The execution officer was summoned and instructed me to wear the hijab
and follow him. Firmly, I stated that I would not wear my hijab. He
threatened to whip me severely and open a new case, adding another
seventy-four lashes. I maintained my stance and did not wear the hijab.
We descended, and they had brought some young men for alcohol-related
charges. The man in authority repeated sternly, <Didn't I say wear your
hijab?> I did not comply. Two chador-wearing women came and pulled a
scarf over my head. I resisted, repeatedly removing it, but they
persisted. Handcuffing me from behind, they continued pulling the scarf
over my head. We proceeded to the ground floor, using the same stairs
where the woman had been taken. A room awaited us at the bottom of the
parking lot. The judge, the execution officer, and the chador-wearing
woman stood beside me. The woman seemed visibly affected, sighing
several times and expressing understanding, saying, <I know. I know.>
The judge smiled at me, reminiscent of a character from <Boofe Kur.> I
averted my gaze from him. The iron door creaked open, revealing a room
with cement walls. At the bottom of the room, there was a bed equipped
with handcuffs and iron bands welded to both sides. An iron device
resembling a large easel, complete with places for handcuffs and a rusty
iron binding in the center, stood in the middle of the room.
Additionally, a chair and a small table, hosting an array of flogs, were
positioned behind the door. It resembled a fully-equipped medieval
torture chamber. The judge inquired, <Are you okay? Do you not have any
problems?> As he wasn't talking to me, I remained silent. He then
stated, <I am with you, madam!> Once again, I chose not to respond. The
executioner instructed me to remove my coat and lie on the bed. I hung
my coat and scarf from the base of the torture canvas. He insisted, <Put
on your scarf!> I firmly replied that I wouldn't. Put the Quran under
your arm and do what you have to do. The woman urged, <Please don't be
stubborn.> She brought the scarf and pulled it over my head. The man
retrieved a black leather whip from the collection behind the door,
wrapping it around his hand twice as he approached the bed. The judge
cautioned not to strike too hard. The man commenced hitting my
shoulders, back, hips, and legs. I refrained from counting the number of
hits. I quietly chanted, <In the name of woman, in the name of life, the
clothes of slavery are torn, our black night will dawn, and all the
whips will be axed...> The ordeal concluded. I ensured they didn't
perceive any pain on my part. We ascended to the judge for sentence
execution. A female officer trailed behind, cautious of my scarf. I
discarded my scarf at the branch door. She implored me to wear it, but I
resisted. Inside the judge's chamber, he acknowledged discomfort with
the case but insisted on its implementation. I chose silence. He
suggested living abroad for a different life; I affirmed our commitment
to resistance, emphasizing the universality of this country. He insisted
on legal adherence, and I urged the law to fulfill its role while we
persist in our resistance. We exited the room, and I removed my scarf.
Gratitude, dear Mr. Tatai, for your companionship, which makes these
challenging days more bearable. I extend my apologies for not being an
ideal client; I'm confident you'll comprehend. Thank you for
everything.>>
Source:
https://hengaw.net/en/news/2024/01/implementation-of-inhumane-sentence-kurdish-activist-roya-heshmati-subjected-to-74-lashes-in-tehran
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