Thursday, February 7, 2008

Iranian Judge Bans Detentions Without Charges


The chief of Iran’s judiciary has issued a decree ordering judges not to detain suspects unless charges are pressed against them, Iranian newspapers reported Wednesday.Iran’s system of criminal punishment — which includes public executions and stonings for adultery — has been sharply criticized in recent months by human rights organizations as being overly harsh.
It is unclear if the decree by the judicial chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, will have much impact because the country’s intelligence apparatus generally holds people without charges, and it does not consult judges. Iran’s Constitution states that suspects should not be held for more than 24 hours without being charged.

Ayatollah Shahroudi is a senior cleric who was appointed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme religious leader. He has criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadd in the past.
Although he is a conservative, Ayatollah Shahroudi has issued several decrees in recent years calling for judicial reforms.

In 2002, he called on judges to stop sentencing people to death by stoning, although Islamic law specifies that punishment for adulterers.
Despite the order, at least one man was executed last year by stoning and at least two imprisoned women have received the sentence, according to women’s activist groups.In one recent case, a 22-year-old man was sentenced to death for drinking alcohol, the ISNA news agency reported. The man, identified only by his first name, Mohsen, received the sentence after he was caught for the third time violating the country’s Islamic ban on drinking alcohol.

This post shows how Iran is concentrating on their appearance when it comes to thier court systems. The Irannians now understand how important their appearance to the rest of the world is now sence the are still tryin to make their nuclear program.

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