Execution of a teenage girl for being raped

BBC News A television documentary team has pieced together details surrounding the case of a 16-year-old girl, executed two years ago in Iran. On 15 August, 2004, Atefah Sahaaleh was hanged in a public square in the Iranian city of Neka. Her death sentence was imposed for "crimes against chastity". The state-run newspaper accused her of adultery and described her as 22 years old. But she was not married - and she was just 16.

If she was not married, how could she have committed adultery.

In terms of the number of people executed by the state in 2004, Iran is estimated to be second only to China. In the year of Atefah's death, at least 159 people were executed in accordance with the Islamic law of the country, based on the Sharia code.

Since the revolution, Sharia law has been Iran's highest legal authority. Alongside murder and drug smuggling, sex outside marriage is also a capital crime.

Left wingers who are so opposed to Bush and his war against Islamic Terrorism should take note. If the Islamists win, they will have a lot more than some anti-abortion laws to contend with. They will find that the state will be killing people for sex outside of marriage.

As a signatory of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, Iran has promised not to execute anyone under the age of 18. But the clerical courts do not answer to parliament.

Again the left needs to take note, and perhaps be more supportive of Bush's war against Islamic terrorists.

They abide by their religious supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, making it virtually impossible for human rights campaigners to call them to account.

Michelle Malkin blogged Many readers across the pond are sending good reviews of a BBC program that aired this week about Atefah Sahaaleh, a 16-year-old girl hanged in a public square in the Iranian city of Neka. Her death sentence was imposed by Islamic mullahs for "crimes against chastity." I hope there's an American station out there that will air the program here. I'm sure that feminists will join me in pressuring our media to help spread the word about this sharia-mandated barbarism.

Below the Beltway blogged So there you have justice in the Islamic Republic. Rape a teenager and get 95 lashes. Get raped as a teenager and get hanged by the neck until dead. Yea, these are civilized people we can deal with.

The Captain's Journal blogged See this for a story on the execution of a teenage girl in Iran, and then this for a barbaric practice that might be coming to an Islamic neighborhood near you. Oh, by the way, it is not true that this practice is merely societal. It occurs everywhere there is Islam. It was prevalent in Afghanistan, for instance, when the U.S. first arrived to clean out the Taliban. This post is updated to link to and address Malkin’s post. The abuses described here go hand-in-hand with the abuses described below, and provide further testimony to the nature of radical Islam.

Blue Crab blogged Read the whole thing. It's quite sickening. The most sickening thing? The execution was carried out in public. The authorities put a noose around her neck and hoisted her to the top of a crane. For those of you who do not understand this, this is slow strangulation and exceedingly cruel. These are the actions of barbarians.