How does iran administer lashes

According to the source, in practice, there are no standardized criteria for determining when alternatives are applied ibid. Statistics on how frequently the penalty of lashing is administered are not readily available ibid.

A sociologist and specialist on Iranian affairs corroborated the above information 25 Jan. None of the sources consulted gives concrete statistics on how frequently lashes are applied as punishment. However, Amnesty International, in the attached excerpts from Iran: Written Statement to the 49th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights notes that it has continually received reports of flogging throughout the year Feb. Country Reports also mentions the frequent use of flogging in Iran , A search of the DIRB's on-line newspaper database revealed several articles which mention lashing in passing, without any detailed information on the practice.

These articles are available on request. According to the above-mentioned sociologist, in practice, the number of lashes that are designated for a particular offence may vary from region to region and from community to community ibid. Such a decision may also depend on the persons who order the administration of lashes as punishment ibid.

For further information on the administration of lashes, please refer to the appropriate articles in Iran's Islamic penal code Ta'azirat. A copy of the code is attached. Please note that the penal code uses the term "strokes" to describe the punishment for specific offences and does not directly use the word "lashes" or "lashing".

Also, Amnesty International, in Iran: Violations of Human Rights , summarizes the administration of lashes as found in the Ta'azirat , I had never felt anything like it before, and I hope I will never feel anything like it again.

Lashing is a common penalty under Wahabi interpretations of sharia law, the Islamic religious laws that underpin the legal systems in Saudi Arabia and Sudan. For some crimes, the Koran specifies the number of lashes required. But for most crimes, the sentence is at the discretion of the judge hearing the case. In the places where it continues to exist it is steeped more in local tradition than Islam.

The practice varies from place to place. Pakistan has a flogging law, as does Iran. Most of the Gulf countries, especially those influenced by Wahabiism have flogging," she said. Human rights advocates question the arbitrary nature of the sentences and the administration of the punishments in public.

On Nov. One judge may give five lashings, another might give ," said Curt Goering, the senior deputy director of Amnesty International. Women sometimes are forced to publicly bear their skin in these very conservative societies. Polls, however, find that strict interpretations of sharia law and corporal punishment are popular in the Muslim world. In Egypt, which is secular, 96 percent of men and women associate justice for women with sharia compliance, Mogahed said.

Official reaction from the governments of both countries has been mixed. I was terrified that they would kick me out and I wouldn't get to graduate with my friends. However, since I had only a few months left until graduation, the school decided to let me return. In those first few weeks after my beating, I felt like I was in a state of shock, a sort of trance.

I kept to myself, and I barely left the house except to go to school. The physical scars healed, but the emotional scars would not go away so easily; in order to cope, I just tried to block out what had happened. I simply wouldn't let myself think about it. After graduation, my parents felt that it would be good for me to get out of Iran for a while, so I went to Dubai and stayed with friends. I had always planned to study law after high school, but in Dubai, a different idea began to take shape in my mind.

I started thinking about doing something that would somehow celebrate women. A few months later, I moved to Washington, D. I'd actually been born in the States — my family had lived in the U. At my new home in D. Because to me, fashion equaled freedom. I'd always loved sewing. As a girl, I watched my mother, an interior designer, sew beautiful pillows and curtains for our home.

I tried to emulate her, stitching an array of cool outfits for my Barbie. I couldn't actually buy any Barbie outfits in Iran since the dolls were illegal there. I used the best materials — a swatch from my father's leather sofa, a snip from the bottom of my mother's mink coat, much to her dismay.

Fashion had been a hobby for me while I was growing up, but in light of my lashing, I wanted it to become more. I felt that women should feel proud of their bodies, not ashamed of them. Of course, I had everything going against me: I had no fashion training; I couldn't even speak English. So I started from scratch. I took language classes and studied determinedly each night. Then I researched things like pattern making and manufacturing. I visited clothing factories, fabric distributors, and showrooms to learn everything I could about the industry.

My family helped me out with money, and I also worked at a local boutique. Finally, I started designing my own line, with some fun, funky, off-the-shoulder tops. Five years later, I was at a friend's party one night, when a guy complimented me on my top — a black cotton tee with a silver pocket and studs along the bottom. I said, "Thank you — I made it myself. His response: "Why are you just trying? I named my line Dar Be Dar, which means "door to door" in Persian. I also sell my clothes directly through my Website, darbedar.

I make sexy bikinis, tops, and leggings, all by hand. This past year, I had a show at Miami Fashion Week. Now I'm planning to launch a T-shirt line inspired by the revolutionary movement in Iran. The line is called Lipstick Revolution, in honor of women around the world who are fighting for their freedom. The punishment I suffered in Iran put my life on a different course.

To this day, when I hear the adhan , I'm brought right back to the terror I felt in that Iranian jail. But now, with some distance, I can see that the experience made me who I am — and made me appreciate my freedom, instead of taking it for granted. One thing that hasn't changed is my faith.

I'm still very proud to be Muslim and Persian. I'm excited to be pursuing my dream of becoming a fashion designer, and I hope that I can inspire, and maybe even help empower, other young women. For me, each day is now a dream filled with creativity, freedom, and safety. And yes, I still carry my Koran with me wherever I go. Michele Shapiro is the editor of the Website drivelikeawoman. United States.