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| '''Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh''' (] - ], ]) was a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was ] in ] after being ] by an Iranian religious judge, Haji Rezai, for having committed "acts incompatible with chastity" according to Sharia law. The execution is controversial because of judicial error{{fact}}, where the age of the girl was reported in court documents to be 22 years, while it was in fact 16. It was her fourth conviction, but despite these aggravating circumstances, it is believed that she would not been eligible for execution at the age of 16. | '''Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh''' (] - ], ]) was a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was ] in ] after being ] by an Iranian religious judge, Haji Rezai, for having committed "acts incompatible with chastity" according to Sharia law. The execution is controversial because of judicial error{{fact}}, where the age of the girl was reported in court documents to be 22 years, while it was in fact 16. It was her fourth conviction, but despite these aggravating circumstances, it is believed that she would not been eligible for execution at the age of 16. | ||
| She addmitted illicit affair with a 51 year old male, which lasted three years and involved sex out of wedlock. |
She addmitted illicit affair with a 51 year old male, which lasted three years and involved sex out of wedlock.] She was also allegedly raped throughout her childhood <ref> Iran Focus</ref> and has been characterized as a ] for her stance in asserting that rapists, rather than rape victims, should be punished for rape.{{fact}} She was publicly executed. | ||
| == Early life == | == Early life == | ||
Revision as of 01:00, 1 November 2007
Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh (1988 - August 15, 2004) was a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was executed in Iran after being sentenced to death by an Iranian religious judge, Haji Rezai, for having committed "acts incompatible with chastity" according to Sharia law. The execution is controversial because of judicial error, where the age of the girl was reported in court documents to be 22 years, while it was in fact 16. It was her fourth conviction, but despite these aggravating circumstances, it is believed that she would not been eligible for execution at the age of 16.
She addmitted illicit affair with a 51 year old male, which lasted three years and involved sex out of wedlock.] She was also allegedly raped throughout her childhood and has been characterized as a feminist icon for her stance in asserting that rapists, rather than rape victims, should be punished for rape. She was publicly executed.
Early life
Atefeh's mother died in a car accident when she was five. Her father became a drug addict and she was forced to care for her octogenerian grandparents. Despite her attending to their needs they are reported to have completely ignored her. She grew up in the town of Neka, Iran and was described as a "lively and intelligent girl", who everyone knew, and was often seen wandering free on streets. She was called "gypsy of Neka" by the locals, as she was not restrained in her behaviour, having no parental guidance.
She was arrested three times by the Moral Police and convicted for having sex with unmarried men. It is illegal in Iran for a boy and girl even to meet without an adult. On each occasion she was jailed and given 100 lashes. The punishment for sex with married men is far more severe. She has also privately alleged being repeatedly raped by members of the Police during and after the custody.
Affair with a 51 year old man
She was having an affair with a married man, which lasted over 3 years. During this period, she hid the relationship from everyone. Since the age of consent in Iran is 9 years, this was not a rape, as sometimes alleged. However, sex outside of weadlock is a crime against chastity. Atefeh was arrested for the fourth time and under alleged torture admitted the affair, for which she was convicted, as repeat offender, to death penalty.
Arrest
On the day she was due to attend a wedding, the Moral Police arrested her as she was preparing dinner for her grandparents. As she had not committed an offense, a petition was presented declaring her a "bad influence". It was not signed.
She was convicted for ‘crimes against chastity’, based on her admission that she had repeatedly had sex with a 51-year-old ex-revolutionary guard turned taxi-driver Ali Darabi, a married man with children. In the court the judge was Haji Rezai. As Atefeh realised she was losing her case, she removed her hijab, an act seen as a severe contempt of the court, and argued that Ali Darabi should be punished, not the her. She even removed her shoes and hit the judge with them. The judge later sentenced her to death.
Atefeh appealed her conviction. Her family could still not afford a lawyer, and none was provided, in contravention of Iranian law. Although such appeals are usually not resolved within a year, her death sentence was upheld by a Supreme Court of conservative mullahs. Haji Rezai, the religious judge, was reportedly so incensed with Atefeh’s "sharp tongue" during the trial that he travelled to Tehran personally to convince the mullahs of the Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence. According to the BBC, the documents presented to the Supreme Court of Appeal described her as a 22-year-old, but her birth certificate and death certificate stated that she was 16. The issue of her age was not brought to proper attention before it was too late. Apparently, the judge arbitrarily put the incorrect age which he estimated based on Atefeh's appearance.
Amnesty International and a number of other organisations have reported that she suffered from psychological illness, both before and at the trial.
Execution
She was publicly hanged from a crane in Neka, Iran, on August 15, 2004 . The judge in her case, Haji Rezai, also acted as executioner and applied the noose himself. She was left hanging for 45 minutes. He later boasted that she had been "taught a lesson" for her "sharp tongue". Her father was not notified of her execution. They never said goodbye.
The next day her body was stolen from her grave. It has never been recovered.
Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations from the international community declared her killing to be a crime against humanity and against children of the world.
BBC Undercover - "Execution of a Teenage Girl"
The case of Atefeh Sahaaleh is the subject of a BBC documentary made by Wild Pictures. Director, Monica Garnsey and Associate Producer, Arash Sahami went undercover to document the case. It is also the subject of an hour-long Discovery Times program called "Execution in Iran."
See also
- Human rights in Iran
- Delara Darabi
- Nazanin Fatehi
- Reza Alinejad
- Mosleh Zamani
- Stop Child Executions Campaign
External links
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- Execution of a teenage girl BBC
- Execution of a teenage girl BBC Documentary Video
- Execution of a teenage girl MUSIC VIDEO
- Amnesty International statement
- The Execution of Atefeh Rajabi
- Media | Death of a teenager (Guardian UK July 27, 2006)
- Atefeh.org
References
- "having sex with unmarried men" Iran Focus
- Iran: Amnesty International outraged at reported execution of 16 year-old girl
- "Execution of a Teenage Girl". BBC News Online. 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2006-07-27.
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