P.O. Box 2931
New York, NY 10185
October 7, 2003
H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan
Secretary General
The United Nations
New York, NY 10017
Dear Mr. Annan:
I am writing to your Excellency to express my deepest concern for Mrs. Afsaneh Norouzi, an Iranian mother of three children who is facing imminent execution by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Mrs. Norouzi was arrested in 1997 for having stabbed to death the head of Police Intelligence in the island of Kish in southern Iran. She evidently acted in self-defense in order to prevent being raped. Under the existing Islamic statute, had she not defended herself from being raped, she would have most likely been accused and tried for adultery and faced death by stoning.
Article 61 of the Islamic Criminal Code states: " if while defending one's life, honor, chastity, property or freedom against any immediate or imminent aggression, one makes an action which is an offense, provided that all of the following conditions are met, one will not be prosecuted and punished. (a) The defense is proportionate to danger or aggression; (b) the action is not excessive; (c) calling the governmental forces is not possible immediately, or calling them is not effective in repelling the aggression or danger."
Despite the above code, which is clear and fully applicable in her case, Mrs. Afsaneh Norouzi has been convicted and sentenced to die.
Mr. Secretary, the record of human rights of the Islamic Republic is a dismal one. For example, according to Amnesty International there have been over 83 executions in the current year.
I feel strongly that Mrs. Afsaneh Norouzi committed this appalling act in self-defense. As someone who opposes death penalty in all its form, I ask you in the name of humanity to intercede with the government of Iran on behalf of Mrs. Norouzi.
I am fully aware of your Excellency's deep commitment to principals of human rights across the globe, and genuinely hope that this case will receive all your attention in order to possibly save this unfortunate woman from an unusual and cruel punishment. Thank you.
cc:
Mr. Ken Roth, Human Rights Watch
Mr. William Schulz, Amnesty International
Mr. Maurice Danby Copithorne, Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights