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| Atena Farghdani |
Satirical
cartoonist Atena Farghadani and her lawyer will be on trial on the charge of
“illegitimate sexual relations falling short of adultery” after they shook
hands in their meeting. Atena Farghadani
and her lawyer Mohammad Moghimi may face up to 99 lashes if found guilty!
Amnesty
International believes Farghdani has been detained solely for exercising her
right to freedom of expression. “It is clearly both absurd and a violation of
the right to privacy to consider a man and a woman shaking hands as a criminal
offence,” said Raha Bahreini, Amnesty International’s researcher.
“These
charges are politically motivated and they are a blatant attempt by the Iranian
authorities to harass Atena and hinder her lawyer’s work representing her.
Instead of subjecting this young prisoner of conscience to further harassment
and intimidation, the Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally
drop these charges and free her.”
Amnesty
International has learnt that Atena Farghadani is going to tomorrow’s hearing
without having secured a lawyer of her own choice and fears that she won’t
receive a fair trial.
Atena
Farghadani and Mohammad Moghimi were charged with “illegitimate sexual
relations short of adultery” after they shook hands in prison after her trial
on 13 June. Mr. Moghimi was arrested, and released three days later after he
had paid a bail amounting to around $60,000.
In
June, Atena Farghdani was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison for
multiple offences including insulting MPs and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei after publishing a series of satirical cartoons depicting legislators
as monkeys, cows and other animals.
Her
conviction also stemmed from her speaking out publicly on the rights of the
families of victims of the massive crackdown following 2009 presidential
elections in Iran.
(Amnesty
International- October 2, 2015)
