Friday, February 25, 2011

Iran hangs Dutch/Iranian woman allegedly for drug smuggling

This is actually old news now (January 30, 2011), but still relevant. It sounds a lot like the old story of someone has hurt the government's feelings, so they trump up charges on someone and remove them through that already in place process (Officials claim "national security issues" so they frame someone on drug or murder charges and voila! no more problem). Murder has no time limit, so I'm bringing this up again, now that time has passed. Has anyone done a THING about this yet? Was an innocent woman hanged?

I personally find this disgusting and I'm sick of some quarters of the world and their disregard for the sanctity of Human life, or life in general for that matter. What happened to an eye for an eye? Drugs = murder? I don't think so.

And if the was framed well, that's an entirely different matter. Perhaps those in the Government responsible for this, should be hanged too? Just a thought.

Torture rumors (from Radio Netherlands Worldwide, link above)
 
The Iranian human rights organisation says this strongly suggests that Zahra Bahrami was convicted for political reasons and not for possession of drugs, as the official verdict states. "The bodies of prisoners executed in Iran for drug offences are always returned to the families. That never happens with political prisoners because the regime is afraid their funeral will turn into a demonstration."

45-year-old Zahra Bahrami was hanged in Evin prison in Tehran on 29 January, after being sentenced to death for possession of cocaine and opium in early January. Following her execution, stories began to circulate that she had been tortured and her body showed signs of this. HRADI says this is another reason for the authorities not to release the body and to arrange a secret burial. 

An Iranian-Dutch woman, arrested after taking part in anti-government protests in Iran in 2009, has been hanged for drug smuggling, the semi-official Mehr news agency said.

Iran hangs security issues woman by hanging drug charges on her

"Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- The Netherlands froze all ties with Iran Sunday after Tehran hanged a Dutch-Iranian woman a day earlier, calling the execution a "shocking act by a barbaric regime."

"And Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal will "discuss possible measures" against Iran by the European Union on Monday, the foreign ministry said.

"Iran hanged Zahra Bahrami Saturday, saying she was a drug smuggler, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, although the Dutch government expressed "great concern" about her case three weeks ago.
Fars said Bahrami smuggled cocaine into Iran with the help of a Dutch partner.

"But the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran suggested the drug charges were only a pretext to execute her.

"The campaign said Bahrami was originally charged with security offenses in the wake of widespread protests against the government over a controversial presidential election in June 2009.

"Her lawyer was "shocked" to find she had been hanged, the group said.

"I was absolutely not informed about this. They should have informed her lawyer of the execution, but I had no idea. I don't know what to say. Just that I am shocked," Jinoos Sharif Razi told the group.

"The campaign said it learned of the hanging from Bahrami's daughter."

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