Delara Darabi -- Artist on Death Row Needs Our Help!
international |
gender and sexuality |
other press 
Thursday April 19, 2007 10:26
by Maud Gonne
info at SaveDelara dot com
Delara Darabi -- Artist on Death Row Needs Our Help!
On January 27, 2007, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Delara Darabi for a second time. Delara faces death by public hanging for a murder that took place when she was 17 years old. After murdering a woman related to Delara, Delara’s 19 year old boyfriend, Amir Hossein, convinced Delara to admit responsibility for the murder to protect him from execution. Apparently, both believed that because Delara was under the age of 18, she could not be sentenced to death. This belief proved to be devastatingly false.
With complete disregard for its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child , and despite overwhelming evidence of Delara’s innocence, as well as her repeated denials about having had any role in the commission of the crime, an Islamic court found her guilty of murder based solely on her initial claim of responsibility and sentenced her to death by hanging.
A source close to Delara's case reports that prison conditions for Delara Darabi deteriorates daily and she has been beaten severely in prison.
In the past two days, Delara has been severely beaten in prison by both the prisoners and the prison guards. Prison authorities have confirmed that Delara's body bears severe signs of beatings and abuse.
More information is abvailable at this url.
Comments (1 of 1)
Jump To Comment: 1According to reports published in newspaper Etemad, Delara Darabi's sentence has been confirmed by Branch 7 of the Supreme Court. Please continue to send appeals.
You can help. Send an email or write to the Iranian Embassy in Dublin.
Here is a sample text to use:
Dear Ambassador
I am writing to urge you to do all that you can to stop the execution of Delara Darabi in Iran.
Delara Darabi is currently facing execution for a crime that took place when she was 17 years old. Yet I understand that Iran, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is obliged not to impose the sentence of death for crimes committed by persons below 18 years of age.
I urge your government to uphold its obligations under international law by overturning the death penalty handed down to Delara Darabi and taking immediate steps to end the death penalty for child offenders.
I would be grateful if you could please pass on these concerns to the appropriate authorities as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely
Send it to:
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
72 Mount Merrion Avenue
Blackrock
Co. Dublin
Tel: 01 288 0252 /01 288 5881
Fax: 01 283 4246
Email: iranemb@indigo.ie
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.