Iran & Instruments of Oppression

As Iran continues to defy international concerns about its nuclear weapons program by resuming uranium enrichment at Natanz nuclear site, internally Human Rights situation keeps on deteriorating further as number of executions handed down to prisoners keep on rising. Disturbing, are the news about the ages of these victims. A recent example of this is the case of Delara Darabi who was 17 when she committed her crime or Nazanin who tried to defend herself from being raped.

On 'stopfundamentalism.com' website we have just launched a new campaign to condemn juvenile execution in Iran and call on international communities and organizations to put pressure on Iran to stop these inhuman punishments. There is also a new petition page there for visitors to sign. Please find a little time to sign this petition and if you can please invite others to do the same. In the West the subject of capital punishment and whether it is right or wrong to use as a deterrent to crime, has always been a major topic of discussion. There are those who support it and also those who do not.

Right or wrong, the fact is that in countries like Iran, capital punishment takes a totally different nature and becomes an instrument of oppression.

As the pressure mounts on Iran to give up its nuclear desires, the theocratic government, in order to be able to hold on to its grip on power, will expand the usage of inhuman punishments inside the country.

Since the youth and students are basically the main source of dissent -- keeping in mind that 70% of Iran's population is under the age of 30-- we will be witnessing more and more of such punishments directed towards the young.