Jessica, thank you SO MUCH for posting this!! It is so difficult for me to read about these horrible things happening to people and not have anything I can immediately do about it. The site you linked to is awesome for both the writing and the resources, and after signing both petitions, forwarding e-mails, and letting all my friends know about this, I hope we can help bring about positive change for these women.

As far as I can make out Nazanin Fatehi is still alive (as at September) awaiting further court dates ... so perhaps everyone can do their bit for her too.

You posted about her here, but as far as I could see no more was done ... so please everybody do what you can now, before it is too late for her.

Save Nazanin

Help Nazanin

I despair when I read these articles.

Is anyone in Iran even human? How can they treat these women this way?

One of the woman had the apparent misfortune to be at home during a home invasion and was stabbed by the invader, later to be accused of adultery with him simply because the invader was a man and he was in her home.

What is the I.Q. of these men in Iran anyway that they are so stupid they think a woman would automatically have sex with a home invader/burgler?

"Is anyone in Iran even human? " Yes, as a matter of fact, I am Iranian-born and I am human as far as I know, and as far as I can remember I was human while growing up in Iran.

"How can they treat these women this way?"

Who is "they", 60+m people who live in that country or the Judiciary?

Well, it's not as if everyone in Iran's a democrat (which, as far as I can tell, is synonymous with feminist in that country). A lot of people are, in fact enough to mount a successful revolution if the US stops playing into the conservatives' hands, but most are apparently the silent majority that will watch everything on television.

On another note, signing online petitions is all fine and dandy, but if you really want to have an impact, type up a letter addressing the Iranian authorities and fax and/or mail it.

Head of the Judiciary
His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Park-e Shahr, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: (Via Ministry of Justice) + 98 21 3 311 6567 (Mark: "Please forward to HE Ayatollah Shahroudi")
Email: irjpr@iranjudiciary.org (mark "Please forward to His Excellency Ayatollah Shahroudi")
via the judiciary website: www.iranjudiciary.org/feedback_en.html
Salutation: Your Excellency

Leader of the Islamic Republic:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 649 5880 (please mark ‘For the attention of the Office of His Excellency, Ayatollah al Udhma Khamenei)

I don't really think any member of the Iranian ruling class feels accountable to non-Iranians, especially Americans. I think the most effective way to attack the regime is to find a way to support local democrats, for example write letters of support, or, if possible, donate money to democratic media.

Alon, I don't know what you mean by democrat?? The dvision is normally reformist vs. hardliner. Very few people would call themselves feminists in Iran, but that does not make Iranians “not human�. I just find it odd that someone should so easily question the humanity of an entire nation. I mean, does the existence of gitmo make all Americans not human? As far as mounting a revolution, I don’t think you know how those things work. People do not want their blood flowing on the streets once again in less than three decades.

“I don't really think any member of the Iranian ruling class feels accountable to non-Iranians, especially Americans.� No they don’t. But if you are referring to writing letters to the authorities, that is a time tested method, even with authorities who don’t hold themselves accountable. It still puts pressure on them. Amnesty International has been doing this for decades and many prisoners have been released.

If you click on the link, Eteraz says that past letter-writing campaigns have succeeded in preventing similar executions, according to activists inside Iran. So, yes, the letters work. And, yes, Iranians are human. All of them.

Alon, I don't know what you mean by democrat?? The dvision is normally reformist vs. hardliner.

I'm generally referring to the people who're protesting with pictures of Mossadegh. I just think terms like "reformist" are too much of a copout; given that in 2002 about half the population of Iran agreed with Bush's branding of its government as a member of the axis of evil, I'm pretty sure reformism is too mild a term.

Very few people would call themselves feminists in Iran, but that does not make Iranians “not human�.

If I've ever implied this isn't true, I apologize.

As far as mounting a revolution, I don’t think you know how those things work. People do not want their blood flowing on the streets once again in less than three decades.

I'm thinking mostly along the lines of the nonviolent revolutions in Serbia and Georgia and Ukraine.

"in 2002 about half the population of Iran agreed with Bush's branding of its government as a member of the axis of evil"
Where do you get that from?