Iranian Womens Rights Activist Sentenced To Flogging & Prison
international |
gender and sexuality |
other press 
Tuesday November 13, 2007 15:06
by Dorothy Gale
Delaram Ali, a Womens rights activist has been sentenced to be flogged and to serve 34 months in prison. Her "crime: demonstrating for womens Rights.
Delaram Ali has been told to present herself to court in order to start serving a prison sentence which has not formally been conveyed to her. She has been told that if she does not attend court by 10 November, she will be arrested.
There is also a risk that she will be flogged. If she is detained, Amnesty International would consider her to be a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression and association for her activities promoting women’s rights in Iran. The Head of the Judiciary has the power to suspend Delaram Ali’s sentence and to order a reinvestigation of the case.
Delaram Ali, a social worker, was arrested on 12 June 2006 during a peaceful demonstration in the capital, Tehran, which called for an end to discriminatory legislation against women. She and other demonstrators were beaten by police, and her left hand was broken as a result. She was released shortly afterwards, but was tried in June 2007 by Branch 16 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, which found her guilty of "participation in an illegal gathering", "propaganda against the system" and "disrupting public order and peace". In July 2007, the court sentenced her to 34 months’ imprisonment and 10 lashes. Delaram Ali has said that her defence lawyer was not allowed to speak during her trial.