The Girl on the Crane

City of Neka, Iran.

In August 2004, Afefeh Rajabi, was tried for acts incompatible with chastity (aka premarital sex).

She could have got off w/100 lashes with a whip like her partner, although he ended up only getting 75. Instead, she stood up for herself in the courtroom, asserting she had been subject to the molestation of an older man, getting so upset she snatched the hijab from her head.

Well, that did it.

The judge, Haji Rezaii, snapped.

Atefeh Rajabi had gone too far and she would hang for it.

From a crane.

In the main square of Neka.

For 45 minutes.

Atefeh was pretty and wild, there was no denying that. By the age of 16, she had been jailed x5 for having sex with unmarried men. She was thrown in jail and felt the lash (100 strokes x5) each time. Her father,an absentee, deadbeat, drug addict dad. Her mother had died years before. Her elderly grandparents had a hard time caring for themselves, much less a headstrong, spirited teenager. She was abused by a close relative as a child but had no one to tell. Teachers called her a whore. Tell the police? You are locked up and raped. She still had nightmares about her stints in Benshahr Prison.

She never had a lawyer at any stage of her due process.

Amnesty International claimed she was mentally incompetent. Bi-polar?

From the dock the judge said she had a sharp tongue. It is rumored that he wanted to engage in muta, or temporary marriage with her.

Needless to say, Atefeh wasn't having any part of the judge.

The ruling clergy of the town forged documents, changing her age from 16 to 22, ensuring she'd be death penalty eligible.

The judge received letters from the town governor congratulating him on his 'firm approach'.

He put the rope around her neck himself.

After her execution, he said publicly that he taught her a "lesson" because of her sharp tongue.

The night she was buried her corpse was stolen by unknown individuals.






Atefeh Rajabi. Never Forget.

Update: Saw this over at Regime Change Iran and thought I'd post it in honor of Atefeh Rajabi's memory.

An Iranian judicial spokesman called on Friday for taking legal action against women who do not observe hijab (the Islamic dress code), stressing that women who reveal part of their hair have breached the law and must be prosecuted.

Jamal Karimi-Rad also told ISNA that the judiciary agents have a duty to confront Islamic dress code violators, adding that these agents include the law-enforcement forces, the Basijis (volunteer forces, members of the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps and some members of the armed forces).

Under Article 15 of the Penal Code, the judiciary agents are tasked with conducting preliminary interrogations, finding evidence, preventing the accused from hiding, etc, he said, adding that if judiciary agents violate the law, they will be sentenced to six months in jail.

Karimi-Rad said those who are accused of crimes, including violation of Islamic dress code, could be detained for 24 hours before a proper decision is taken by judicial officials.

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Iran: A rigid, theocracy with institutionalized misogynistic laws and practices.

Yeah, let's let these guys have nukes.