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10
reasons you would never live in Iran

19 July 2009

Supporters
of reformist candidate Hossein Mousavi continue to appeal the
results of tenth presidential election which was held on 12 June,
2009 and reports of violence, arrests and attacks on opposition keep
coming from Iran. At the same time no one can be absolutely sure
that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not elected by the majority of
Iranians. However another truth is also obvious: those who are in
opposition to current regime can’t stand it any longer. Here I’ve
tried to list all those regular occurrences that are commonly
accepted in most of countries but are prohibited and punishable in
Iran:

Conversion
from religion. In
Iran one of the crimes punishable by execution is an apostasy. In
Islam it is commonly defined as the rejection in word or deed of
their former religion (apostasy) by a person who was previously a
follower of Islam. The major problem is that sentence of death for
the crime of apostasy has been applied in Iran even to alleged
offenders who have not claimed to have converted to another
religion, and whose crime may appear to outsiders to be political
rather than religious. Hashem Aghajari, for example was condemned to
death for apostasy for a speech urging Iranians to "not blindly
follow" Islamic clerics.

Critics
of government.
Any form of dissent, opposition and critics is rigidly clamped down
by authorities. Charges such as “propaganda against the Islamic
Republic”, “acting against national security”, “organizing illegal
gatherings” have become increasingly common. They are so general
that police can detain anyone for anything and give him a prison
sentence. Iran is the only country that can ban a journalist from
writing for the rest of his life. E.g. one of the leading reformist
newspapers Kargozaran has been closed down recently just because of
printing a letter from student activist which was critical of Hamas
(Palestinian Islamic socio-political organization). Many journalists
detained for expressing their beliefs are routinely subjected to
physical and psychological abuse as part of the interrogation
process. Even if they are eventually released the threat of being
returned to jail is often used to intimidate them against any
further activism or dissent. Many of them are subject to travel bans
preventing them from leaving the country.

Dress
code for women. In
public, Islamic covering of the body and hair is mandatory. This
consists of a "rupush" (a long-sleeved, non-form fitting coat that
resembles a raincoat) and a headscarf covering the hair, ears and
neck. This outfit must be worn all year around regardless of the
temperature. Scarves should be large enough to cover the head and
tie under the chin. Even when undertaking sporting activity in
public (such as tennis or jogging), the dress code described above
must be maintained. Punishments range from a verbal reprimand to 74
lashes with a whip to imprisonment for one month to a year. Moreover
authorities are taking legal action against women who do not fully
observe hijab, e.g. reveal part of their hair or use a some
cosmetics. Teams of patrols are seen on the streets of Tehran, and
in some other large cities, busting young girls and taking them into
detention.

Dress
code for men.
Shorts should not be worn outside the house and garden. Short
sleeved shirts are also used to be frowned upon. Ties are acceptable
although worn rarely by Iranian men since the revolution. Government
officials never sport a tie.

Women
rights.
Many laws have been enacted sharply restricting women's educational
and professional opportunities, reinforcing male control over women
in the family, imposing gender segregation in many areas and adding
discriminatory features to the criminal code. As an example the
woman had to have written permission from her husband to travel
outside the country. Custody of children is in the hands of the
father and even after his death, in the hands of the male relatives
on the father's side. Citizenship is only through paternity. An
Iranian man’s child from any woman would become an Iranian citizen
automatically. An Iranian woman’s child from a non-Iranian would not
be eligible for citizenship. Other discriminatory points include
women’s lack of right to divorce, forced marriages, measuring the
testimony of a male witness as equivalent to that of two female
witnesses and so on.

Adultery.
Under the Article 83 of the Iranian Penal Code sexual intercourse by
married persons with anyone other than their spouse is illegal and
should be punished by stoning to the death. Despite of making no
difference between males and females the law affects women much more
than their spouses. When caught in adulterous relationships, men can
always claim to have been in a temporary marriage contract with the
woman involved. Temporary marriage contracts, for hours or months or
years, can be easily made between the partners. A married woman
cannot escape stoning in the same way.

Sex
outside marriage.
Alongside murder and drug smuggling, sex outside marriage is also a
capital crime. 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. She was previously arrested
for attending a party and being alone in a car with a boy. Being
stopped or arrested by the moral police is a fact of life for many
Iranian teenagers.

Homosexuality.
LGBT rights in Iran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 have come
under governmental persecution, with public floggings and executions
of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. According to The Boroumand
Foundation, there are records of at least 107 executions with
charges related to homosexuality between 1979 and 1990. Gay men are
treated far more harshly under the law than lesbians, and some men
undergo sex change operations—which the late government declared
permissible in a fatwa—to avoid harsh penalties that include
imprisonment or execution. However, transsexuals still report
societal intolerance as well.

Trade
unions.
The forming independent trade unions and getting involved into
related activities remains illegal in Iran. Section 6 of the Labour
Law is vaguely worded in terms of workers forming free trade unions.
It is reported that attempts to create a number of workers’
associations and strike actions over wages have been met by
arbitrary arrests and violence by the security forces.

Children
rights.
Despite international condemnation, Iran continues the practice of
juvenile executions, and according to Amnesty International at least
130 young offenders remain on death row in Iran’s prisons. At least
seven juvenile offenders were executed in 2008, one of whom was
under the age of 18 at the time of execution. The age of criminal
responsibility in Iran is stipulated by Shari’a law: age 9 for girls
and 15 for boys.

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