Dear Feminist Activist,
Ashraf Kolhari, an Iranian mother of four, has been sentenced to death for allegedly having sex outside of wedlock. Kolhari was given this brutal sentence for having an affair after the Iranian court system refused to grant her a divorce from her husband. The stoning could be carried out at any time.
Please,
act now by writing to the Iranian government and the United Nations, demanding that Iran stop the cruel practice of stoning and commute Ashraf Kolhari's death sentence.
According to the Islamic Republic of Iran's penal code, women must be buried up to their chest and stoned in a manner that increases the victim's suffering and prolongs her death. Stones are deliberately chosen so they will “not be large enough to kill the person by one or two strikes; nor should they be so small that they could not be defined as stones.” Eight other women in Iran reportedly await the same fate as Kolhari.
We urge you to take this time to
write to the Iranian authorities and the United Nations, asking them to save Ashraf Kolhari's life and to abolish the practice of death by stoning.
In 2003, members of the feminist community worldwide protested the stoning of Amina Lawal - and it worked! Lawal, a Nigerian single mother, was also convicted of sex out of wedlock. With the help of feminist supporters, Lawal's death sentence was overturned. The feminist community does have the power to save women's lives!
Please
join together, once again, to protest death by stoning and to protect the dignity and integrity of women's lives across the globe.
For Women's Lives,
Eleanor Smeal
President
x-posted to
riotsnotdiets