A Kurdish woman in Iran has been sentenced to receive 50 lashes for participating in street celebrations for the Kurdistan Region independence referendum. Zamaneh Zivia was sentenced to 50 lashes and fined 1.8 million tomans (about $500) for “disrupting public order,” the France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported on Tuesday as quoted by the Kurdish media network Rudaw.
Zivia is in her final year of law at Payam-e-Noor University of Saqez. She was arrested at her home on November 6 on charges of “attempts against national security, participation in illegal gatherings and disturbing public order,” the rights monitor reported, citing an informed source.
Her lawyer has appealed the verdict.
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran condemns the flogging sentence issued for a young Kurdish female student and calls on the Iranian women and youth to protest against such criminal verdicts.
The NCRI Women’s Committee urges international human rights and women’s rights organizations to undertake effective measures to stop such cruel and inhuman punishments.
On December 7, the Student Day in Iran, the clerical regime’s court in Saqqez, Iranian Kurdistan, sentenced Zamaneh Zivi to cash fine and 50 lashes of the whip on the charge of “disruption of public order.” She is a senior student of law at Payam Noor University of Saqqez in Kurdistan.
The Iranian regime’s resort to such an inhuman punishment for a girl student only indicates its fear of rebellions by the Iranian people, particularly the students and youth. It also reveals the true nature of Rouhani, the mullahs’ president who pretends to be a moderate.
Thousands of Kurds in Iran took to the streets in rare demonstrations, expressing solidarity with their fellow Kurds voting for independence across the border. Scores were arrested. Among those arrested were young men charged with disrupting public order after playing loud music in their vehicles.
Farhad Hadi, journalist and editor of Dangi Kurdistan Weekly, was held for two days after the publication of the October 5 edition of his paper that focused on Kurdistan independence. He was interrogated about the content of his paper, KHRN reported. On their release, some of those arrested stated they had been tortured.
Iran opposed the Kurdistan referendum, deeming it unconstitutional. Kurds represent almost half of all political prisoners in Iran, according to the United Nations.