Iran: Sentencing of women's rights defender
Prominent women's rights defender, Delaram Ali was sentenced to 2 years, 10 months jail term and 10 lashes, on 2 July 2007, for her participation in a peaceful gathering of women human rights defenders in Tehran in June 2006.
Delaram Ali was sentenced by the Revolutionary Courts, in Tehran under articles 500 (propoganda against the state); 610 (conspiring to commit or facilitate a non-violent offence against internal or external security of the nation); and 618 (disruption of public order) of the Islamic Penal Code. The verdict issued was based on a report by the Tehran Branch of the Intelligence Ministry, which claimed that Delaram Ali was guilty of the charges that were brought against her and found her to be a “criminal”.
The sentence was handed down for Delaram Ali's participation in a peaceful gathering in Hafte Tir Square in June 2006. The gathering of women's rights defenders on 12 June 2006 was disrupted by female police officers who reportedly used pepper gas and beat a number of the protesters. Approximately 70 participants in the peaceful gathering were arrested.
Prior to Delaram Ali’s sentence, other women’s rights activists had been sentenced as a result of this gathering: Fariba Davoodi Mohajer [3 years suspended sentence and 1 year prison term]; Noushin Ahmadi Khorasan [2 years suspended sentence and 6 months jail term]; Parvin Ardalan [2 years suspended sentence and 6 months jail term]; Shahla Entesari [2 years suspended sentence and 6 months jail term]; Sussan Tahmasebi [1 year and 6 months suspended sentence and 6 months jail term]; Azadeh Forghani [2 years suspended sentence]; and Bahareh Hedayat [2 years suspended sentence]. Sentences for Maryam Zia, Nasim Soltan Beigi, and Alieh Eghdam doost, also defendants in relation to the same protest, are still be to issued.
Front Line strongly condemns the sentencing of Delaram Ali by the Iranian judiciary and believes that it is related solely to her human rights activities in defence of women's rights in Iran.
Front Line calls on the Iranian authorities to quash the conviction against Delaram Ali and take measures to ensure that all human rights defenders in Iran, carrying out their legitimate work in defence of human rights, are able to operate freely.
Front Line is seriously concerned about the sentence of 10 lashes and calls in particular for that part of the sentence to be quashed. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has said that flogging is cruel, inhuman or degrading and, as such, an unacceptable form of punishment.