PR No. 55
August 28, 2010

August 28, 2010, registered as a historic day in the struggle against the barbarism of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Today, August 28, thousands of citizens in 32 countries came out in response to the call by the International Committee Against Stoning, the International Committee Against Execution, Mission Free Iran, and Iran Solidarity. The call was to demand the immediate freedom of Sakineh Ashtiani and all others condemned to stoning, as well as to protest the barbaric cruelty of the regime of Islamic Republic, specifically the medieval punishment of stoning.

The early news of today’s rallies around the world indicates that the call to action has been widely responded to – unprecedented in the similar category of international callouts. Citizens have come out in over 100 cities, carrying posters of Sakineh and others condemned to be stoned, listening to several speakers from different parties and organizations, and chanting slogans. At the end the rallies held so far, the Statement of the demonstration (see Appendix) has been confirmed by the participants with clapping or signing.

The Statement points to examples of 31 years of crime by the Islamic regime, from genocidal massacre of political prisoners to enforcing the pre-medieval Sharia (doctrinal) law, which, among other barbaric punishments, prescribes stoning for the ‘crime’ of adultery. The Statement goes on to demand: the immediate and unconditional release of Sakineh Ashtiani and all others condemned to stoning; the abolition as well as criminalization of stoning worldwide; not recognizing the Islamic Republic as the government of Iran, and expelling it from all international bodies; the trial by international courts of the leaders of the regime for 31 years of crime against humanity.

Hundreds of TV networks, radio stations and newspapers covered the news of the international day before the event. Several of them included in their coverage interviews with the leaders and activists of the campaign. The early news indicate that so far today the media has given the rallies wide coverage – some of them live and with interviews.

Post cards have been presented to the participants to buy and mail to the Secretary General of UN asking for Ahmadinejad not to let in the UN General Assembly session in September.

August 28 was thus made into a historic day of world protest against stoning, in particular, and the barbarism of the Islamic Republic, in general – a day on which the foundation was laid for wider solidarity with the people of Iran in order to bring down the vile Islamic regime.

We salute all the organizers of today’s international event as well as all those who participated in them, including personages, organizations and the media. We will gradually make available reports, photos and footages of the rallies.

Further, we hereby declare that our fight against stoning and the regime of stoning in Iran took a great step forward today, and thus put the people of Iran as well as the world in a more advantageous position to further the struggle. On this day, we proudly declare that we shall most resolutely continue this fight until Sakineh Ashtiani all those sentenced to stoning have been unconditionally freed, until stoning has been abolished around the world, until all criminal laws of the Islamic Republic have been complete revoked, and, indeed, until the regime itself has been brought down. This regime has been founded, and survived, on human blood shed by means of terror: from policing the people’s private lives in the most brutal ways to jailing, flogging, raping, torturing, executing (including minors, gays and lesbians), assassinating, massacring political prisoners, stoning, mutilating people in accordance with the pre-medieval, tribal Islamic Sharia law, …the list is almost endless in criminality. Such a terrorist regime must be brought down. We proudly declare that we shall continue the struggle most resolutely until this has been achieved.

International Committee Against Stoning
International Committee Against Execution

August 29, 2010

Appendix:

The Statement of the protest action of August 28, 2010 by
100 Cities Around the World Against Stoning

On August 28, 2010 one hundred cities around the world are rising up to protest the barbaric practice of stoning, as well as to save the life of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in Iran. This day will be recorded in the annals of humanity as a manifestation of the protest, during the prior weeks, by millions of people across the globe against stoning as the most heinous form of medieval cruelty. It is a disgrace to humanity that, at the close of the first decade of the twenty-first century, stoning is still practiced in Iran and similar Islam-stricken countries. We, the citizens of 100 cities, hereby unequivocally declare that this blot must be removed from the face of humanity immediately and permanently.

On this day we also protest against the regime of stoning in Iran. This regime has, during the 31 years of its existence, committed genocide, established a system of sexual apartheid in Iran, and made imprisonment, execution, torture, rape of political prisoners, and the rule of pre-medieval Islamic Sharia the law of the land. Such a regime is not the representative of the people of Iran. It is their murderer, and its leaders must be brought to trial before international tribunals for their crimes against humanity.

Further, the international protest of August 28 is yet another manifestation of the solidarity of people around the world with the people of Iran, who have heroically risen up to bring down the regime of stoning, the Islamic code of punishment (Qesaas), hijab, torture, and execution. We, the citizens of 100 cities worldwide, proudly declare that we consider ourselves the standard bearers of the universal front of humanity against barbarity. We support the struggles of the people of Iran against one of the cruellest regimes in the history of humankind. We, therefore, emphatically declare, on behalf of the world’s civilized humanity, that the path to the liberation of the Iranian people will not pass through threats or military action against the country but through the removal of the regime of the Islamic Republic by the power of the struggles of people in Iran and across the world.

The following are our common demands on August 28, 2010 throughout 100 cities of the world:

1- The immediate and unconditional freedom of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani and all other prisoners in Iran sentenced to be stoned to death.

2- The abolition of stoning in Iran and elsewhere. We demand that the United Nations urgently adopt a specific resolution forbidding stoning as an inhuman punishment all over the world.

3- Not recognizing the Islamic regime of stoning in Iran as the government of that country and, thus, banning it from all international bodies.

4- Bringing to trial the perpetrators of stoning. Stoning is one of the most abominable forms of crime against humanity. Any individual, group, organization or state executing the punishment of stoning must be prosecuted and tried by international tribunals.

We continue our struggles until we have achieved all of these demands. As an immediate, primary step to that end, we demand that Mahmood Ahmadinejad, the president of the regime of stoning, be stopped from entering the General Assembly of the United Nations in September 2010.