International protest week

Against stoning sentence of

Amina Lawal in Nigeria

And Execution sentence of Shahnaz in Iran

Iran: On August 5, 2003, Etemaad newspaper reported that, the execution sentence of Shahnaz has been confirmed by the supreme court of the Islamic regime of Iran and will be carried out any time soon. Shahnaz is a 35 years old Iranian woman who was sentenced to stoning for having sex outside marriage and murdering her husband with the help of her lover. In February 2003 and as a result of the mass protests against the Islamic regime of Iran and the increasing international and national pressure on this regime, stoning was suspended but replaced with execution.

Nigeria:The appeal court for Amina Lawal, who was sentenced to stoning for having extra-marital relationship, is going to be held on August 27, 2003. Following international protests, her hearing was postponed three times.

The International Committee against Stoning that is the only international organization that has focused specifically on stopping stoning, has announced a week of protest against stoning and any sort of punishment for extra marital relationship. Burying a human being up to the shoulders and stoning them to death is brutal, inhumane and is a medieval treatment. We must not let this happen. This brutal punishment must be stopped immediately. The Islamic regime of Iran has to be put on trial for murdering thousands of freedom loving people and for committing crimes against humanity.

The International Committee against Stoning calls upon all progressive and freedom loving organizations and individuals to join us in this protest week against stoning sentence of Amina Lawal in Nigeria and execution sentence of Shanhnaz in Iran.

Recommended actions:

· Write to the Iranian President Mohammad Khatami demanding:

- Immediate abolition of execution and all other forms of punishment for extra-marital relations;

- Immediate release of all those imprisoned for extra-marital relations;

- Immediate release of Shahnaz, who has been sentenced to execution

Email: khatami@president.ir Fax: 0098 21 649 5880

· Write to the Nigerian President Ousegun Obasanjo:

- Immediate abolishment of stoning law

- Immediate annulment of Amina Lawala’s stoning sentence

Address: The Presidency

Federal Secretariat, Shehu Shagari Way, Abuja, Nigeria

Tel: +234-9-2341010

Fax: +234-9-2341733

Email: presidency@nopa.net

· Organize rallies and demonstrations in front of Iranian and Nigerian embassies in your countries