Call to name and shame - Haaretz

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Thu., February 14, 2008 Adar1 8, 5768

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Call to name and shame

By Bari Weiss

Tags: Iran, Zohreh Kabiri

This week, two Iranian sisters, Zohreh and Azar Kabiri, ages 27 and 28, respectively, were sentenced to death by stoning in Karaj, 40 km west of Tehran. It is their second sentencing: They've already received 99 lashes each at the hands of their government for the crime of "illegal relations," in a trial conducted without a defense attorney. The court decided to try them again for the same crime, now finding that they were guilty of actual "adultery" - an offense punishable by death in Iran.

In this specific case, evidence of Zohreh and Azar's alleged adultery is limited to a video filmed on a secret camera planted by Zohreh's husband. Though he insists the women had extramarital affairs, even the court acknowledged that the video footage doesn't show them engaging in any sexual acts. Jabbar Solati, their lawyer, insists that there is absolutely "no legal evidence whereby the judge could have the knowledge for issuing a stoning sentence."

When it comes to women and the law in Iran, this isn't hard to believe. Often, women who have been raped are charged with adultery and killed for the "crime" of being raped. What's more is that under Iran's Sharia law, the testimony of a woman has only half the value of that of a man. And because women in Iran have a far higher rate of illiteracy than men, they are often duped into signing confessions for crimes they didn't commit.

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The brutal details of death by stoning are described in Iran's penal code. Article 102 explains that prior to the stoning, men must be buried up to their waists in a pit, and women up to their breasts, so their upper bodies are exposed but they cannot move. The size of the stones is crucial. Article 104 explains that the stones must be large enough to inflict pain, but "not large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes." An excruciating death is the goal - most are reported to take around 20 minutes.

I've watched a video of one such stoning in Iran. It's impossible to describe the absolute horror of watching hordes of men lift up stone after stone, crying out that "God is great," while a woman, trapped in a dirt pit, is slowly and violently disfigured by the rocks.

According to Iran's National Council of Resistance, there are currently 11 people - nine women and two men - awaiting death by stoning for adultery convictions. Although the head of Iran's judiciary issued a moratorium on the practice of stoning in 2002, the official law has not been changed and stonings have persisted, though concrete figures are hard to come by. Just a week ago, 49-year-old Abdollah Farivar, a father and music teacher, was sentenced to the same gruesome death that awaits Zohreh and Azar.

Had Zohreh and Azar's story been published half a century ago, your reaction might have been shock. Then, when the Western human rights movement was just getting under way, newspaper readers were beginning to encounter stories of individuals suffering terrible oppression at the hands of their governments.

The tactic of bringing such stories to public attention began, by many accounts, in May 1961, when a group of activists, writers and lawyers in London convinced The Observer to print the photographs and stories of six political prisoners detained in countries around the world for their beliefs. Led by lawyer Peter Benenson, the campaign had the aim of enraging readers and rallying public opinion, and thus shaming the abusive governments through severe international pressure. Public reaction to this 1961 "Appeal for Amnesty" was overwhelming. The informal group quickly became Amnesty International, now a household name, and looking back, it's clear this was a foundational moment in the Western human rights movement.

Now, it's increasingly rare to read specific appeals about particular individuals. Instead we receive e-mail blasts informing us about massive campaigns - against child labor, against religious suppression, against honor killings. While such organization is a testament to how massive the movement has become, these appeals can often feel abstract, and it's hard to summon up the motivation to mobilize in the face of such a bleak reality.

But one thing is certain: The name-and-shame tactic practiced in 1961 still works. Stop Stoning Forever, a group led by brave local activists in Iran, has managed to save four women and one man from death since its founding a year ago. They have been able to do so, they say, because of international publicity generated around these cases.

As of this writing, two short articles, prepared by peripheral news outlets, have been published about the case of Zohreh and Azar Kabiri. Two articles are not enough to change their fate.

It's easy to read this story with cynicism or resignation. Don't. It's true that the web of injustice in Iran is far, far bigger than these two sisters. But to be paralyzed by the enormity of the problem is to ensure their death. Instead, choose to read this story with rage - and let that fire move you to create the kind of ruckus they so desperately need.

In Iran: Head of Judiciary Ayatollah Shahroudi: tel: 98-21-2274-1002; fax: 98-21-3390-4986.

In the U.S.: Interests Section of Iran: tel: 202-965-4990; fax: 202-965-1073.

In Canada: Embassy of Iran, Ottawa: tel: 613-232-5712.

In the U.K.: Embassy of Iran, London: tel: 0207-225-3000; fax: 0207-589-4440.

Bari Weiss is a Dorot Fellow living in Jerusalem.

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1.	Ha`aretz actually printed this article? Unbelievable!	00:08	\|	Sam	12/02/08

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