Iranian rule of law
How would your students evaluate the state of the rule of law in Iran based on this report?From the New York Times
Iran Exonerates Six Who Killed in Islam’s Name
"The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia who killed five people they considered “morally corrupt.”
"The reversal, in an infamous five-year-old case from Kerman, in central Iran, has produced anger and controversy, with lawyers calling it corrupt and newspapers giving it prominence...
"Three lower court rulings found all the men guilty of murder. Their cases had been appealed to the Supreme Court, which overturned the guilty verdicts. The latest decision, made public this week, reaffirms that reversal...
"The ruling may still not be final, however, because a lower court in Kerman can appeal the decision to the full membership of the Supreme Court. More than 50 Supreme Court judges would then take part in the final decision.
"According to the Supreme Court’s earlier decision, the killers, who are members of the Basiji Force, volunteer vigilantes favored by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, considered their victims morally corrupt and, according to Islamic teachings and Iran’s Islamic penal code, their blood could therefore be shed."The last victims, for example, were a young couple engaged to be married who the killers claimed were walking together in public.
"Members of the Basiji Force are known for attacking reformist politicians and pro-democracy meetings. President Ahmadinejad was a member of the force...
"Iran’s Islamic penal code, which is a parallel system to its civic code, says murder charges can be dropped if the accused can prove the killing was carried out because the victim was morally corrupt.
"This is true even if the killer identified the victim mistakenly as corrupt..."
See also
- from the International Herald Tribune: Iran reverses convictions for 'morally corrupt' killings
- from the Persian Journal: Mullahs: Bassijis Licensed to Kill Iranians in Iran
Labels: Iran, rule-of-law
posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:24 AM
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