Horror! Iran mulls death penalty for Internet crimes
July 3rd, 2008A very dangerous bill was proposed in Iran according to the Khaleej Times which you should all be alert about:
TEHERAN - Iran’s parliament is set to debate a draft bill which could see the death penalty used for those deemed to promote corruption, prostitution and apostasy on the Internet, reports said on Wednesday.
MPs on Wednesday voted to discuss as a priority the draft bill which seeks to “toughen punishment for harming mental security in society,” the ISNA news agency said.
The text lists a wide range of crimes such rape and armed robbery for which the death penalty is already applicable. The crime of apostasy (the act of leaving a religion, in this case Islam) is also already punishable by death.
However, the draft bill also includes “establishing weblogs and sites promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy”, which is a new addition to crimes punishable by death.
Those convicted of these crimes “should be punished as “mohareb’ (enemy of God) and “corrupt on the earth’,” the text says.
Under Iranian law the standard punishments for these two crimes are “hanging, amputation of the right hand and then the left foot as well as exile.”
The very fact that this bill was proposed and is up for consideration is just absolutely unacceptable and horrific. Something must be done or the lives of millions of bloggers will be in serious danger.
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amputation of the right hand and then the left foot? is this for real?
Unbelievable…so what is a law like that going to mean to multi-national internet companies like Google and Yahoo? Are they going to face fatwas of death if they don’t co-operate and give up user information?
While certainly more extreme than any other measures I’ve seen before, this seems to a growing trend, to not only regulate but to control and censor the internet and those who use it. I’d like to urge all the folks who post here and read this site to support the efforts of groups to keep the internet free, whether by organizing protests, signing petitions, or whatever you can do.
The ability to introduce the voice of individuals into a mass communications medium is not only powerful, but is always dangerous to those who wish to keep the “voice of the people” silent.
I don’t think this latest little draconian measure is going to do a bit of good, if the Persians I know are any measure of the creativity and savviness of Iranians.
[...] tip: Mideast Youth for blogging this [...]
Unbelievable.
I am horrified to hear this. Iran was once a great country, I hope can be that again.
amputation of the right hand and then the left foot… goodbye friends!
A frightening development but also an indicator of their fear of free thought/speech.
Maybe you are all more effective than you think you are.
This is really shocking. Could anybody verify this? And would this mean the end for the Iranian blogging movement?
Erik, so far this is just a bizarre proposal. Let’s hope that nothing comes out of it.
But it IS a proposal. Another fine example of the “peace” found in the religion of slaves. Actually, it’s a good thing. People are already tired of being victims and slaves there. Maybe it will accelerate the increasing apostasy in Iran and the final ouster of those idiot mullahs. Keep it up you guys! You got the bastards on the run! This insane “thought control” proposal is proof that they FEAR you.
In theory I agree with the Iranian parliaments view on the internet’s potential dangers to mental health in society. This concerns all of us too.
Naturally, I find the proposed punishments nauseating and insane.
According to “wiki” on apostasy in Islam: ” The Quran itself speaks repeatedly of people going back to unbelief after believing, but is silent on the appropriate punishment.”
It is this kind of “governing” that gives the rest of the world the wrong idea about Islam.
another example of y religion should b limited in public life.
Ace! Being of Iranian heritage, a mother who conceived me when she was a muslim, an administrator of website and author of a blog encouraging discussions of spiritual import - I feel this law was written just for me.
Now I wonder how far I’ll get with my left foot and right arm amputated - probably not far - so then would I fall foul of not being able to go into exile and be executed anyway? Assuming I get to go to court in the first place and not mysteriously ‘disappeared’.
But wait as a female apostate - according to Article 225-10 of the proposed law - I will have life time imprisonment where I will have ‘hardship’ exercised upon me. Great so I might be spared hanging - instead I get torture! To my knowledge the draft law that was proposed extended to the extra-terrestial application of the law - so I don’t even have to be in Iran and I am considered guilty of this heinous crime - which incidently contravenes articles 2, 18 and 19 of the universal declaration of human rights - to which Iran is a signatory.