Iranian girl sentences to death for self-defense
On January 7th, in Iranian city of Tehran, home of the fountain of blood, a court sentenced a teenage rape victim to death by hanging after she confessed to unintentionally killing a man trying to take advantage of her and her niece. Nazanin, 17 at the time and Somayeh (16), were in a park with their boyfriends when three men started throwing stones at them. The boyfriends quickly escaped on their motorbikes, while the men pushed the girls to the ground with the aim of raping them. At this point, Nazanin took out a knife and stabbed one of the men in the hand and when they wouldn’t let off, stabbed another in the chest. In tears before the court, she said that she didn’t want to kill anybody, but was merely trying to protect herself and her niece. Nonetheless, she received the death sentence. But hanging young girls is nothing new for Iran, last month in Rasht, 17 year-old Delara Darabi was hanged for murder. While, in August 2004, 16 year-old Atefeh Rajabi was executed for “acts incompatible with chastity”. Atefeh was not allowed a lawyer and defending herself pleaded that the judge should punish those who force women into adultery instead of the victims. She was executed in a public hanging in the northern town of Neka.
Iran to hang teenage girl attacked by rapists, IranFocus.com