News+and+politics religion philosophy the cynic librarian: Iranian Govt. Executes 16-Year-Old Girl for "Crimes Against Chastity"

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Iranian Govt. Executes 16-Year-Old Girl for "Crimes Against Chastity"

Iranian Atefah Sahleeah was hanged for "crimes against chastity." A new documentary pieces together her story. ...

According to a report on the documentary:

Being stopped or arrested by the moral police is a fact of life for many Iranian teenagers.

Previously arrested for attending a party and being alone in a car with a boy, Atefah received her first sentence for "crimes against chastity" when she was just 13.

Although the exact nature of the crime is unknown, she spent a short time in prison and received 100 lashes.

When she returned to her home town, she told those close to her that lashes were not the only things she had to endure in prison. She described abuse by the moral police guards.

Soon after her release, Atefah became involved in an abusive relationship with a man three times her age.

Former revolutionary guard, 51-year-old Ali Darabi - a married man with children - raped her several times.

She kept the relationship a secret from both her family and the authorities.

Atefah was soon caught in a downward spiral of arrest and abuse.

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