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Description

Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh

Atefeh was a 16 year old schoolgirl from the town of Neka , Iran and was described as a "lively and intelligent girl", whom everyone knew. Like many young girls Atefeh enjoyed shopping for the latest jeans and listening to music on her Ipod. It is reported that Atefeh's mother died in a car accident when she was five and that her father, due to this trauma, later became a drug addict. As a teen, Atefeh was seen wandering free on the streets and was often unaccompanied by a male guardian. She was called "gypsy of Neka" by the locals, as she was considered to not be restrained in her behavior.
Arrest and Trial

On a day Atefeh was due to attend a wedding, she was arrested by the moral police while she was preparing dinner for her grandparents. As she had not committed an offense, a petition was presented declaring her a bad influence. It was not signed. According to Islamic Sharia Law, she was convicted for 'acts incompatible with chastity,' based on her admission, that she repeatedly had sex with 51-year-old ex-revolutionary guard turned taxi-driver Ali Darabi, a married man with children. [1] Over the course of the 'relationship' with Ali Durabi, Atefah stated to the authorities that he had raped her several times. She admitted that she had kept the relationship, which lasted over three years, a secret from both her family and the authorities. Atefeh would have been at least just 13 years old when Ali Durabi first began grooming her for sex. While in prison, Atefah finally told her grandmother what had happened, saying that after Ali Durabi had raped her she could only walk on all fours because of the pain. [3] In court, during her trial the attending Judge was Haji Rezai. It is reported that she told the Judge that Ali Darabi should be punished and not her. As the trial progressed and Atefah realized she was losing her case, it is reported that she removed her hijab , an act seen as a severe contempt of the court. She even removed her shoes and threw them at the judge . [4] Judge Haji Rezai later sentenced her to death.

According to BBC, the documents presented to the Supreme Court of Appeal described her as 22 years old, but her birth and death certificate stated that she was only 16. The issue of her age was not brought to proper attention until it was too late.

Atefah's father was reported to have stated "The Judge just looked at her body, because of her apparent developed physique...and declared her as 22." Pursuant to continual complaints filed by Atefeh's family about her execution and the way the judge was mishandling the case, the Supreme Court of Iran issued an order to free Atefah, it is reported to have been received three weeks too late.
Amnesty International and other organisations claimed that she suffered from psychological illness, both before and at the trial.

Execution
It is alleged that on the day of the execution, Judge Haji Rezai applied the noose himself around Atefeh's neck, before she was hoisted on a crane to her death, where she was left hanging for 45 minutes. It is reported that Judge Haji Rezai stated "this will teach you to disobey", and that he later boasted that he had taught Atefah a lesson for her sharp tongue. Atefeh was publicly hanged from a crane in Neka , Iran, on August 15, 2004. Her father was not notified of her execution. The next day her body was stolen from her grave. It has never been recovered.

After the execution of Atefeh, Iranian media reported that Judge Rezai and several militia members including Captain Zabihi and Captain Molai were arrested by the Intelligence Ministry. Inside sources informed the media that, in addition to Ali Durabi's confession of his rape of Atefeh, Judge Rezai who served as judge, jury and executioner, also confessed to torturing her during interrogations to extract names of others she had relations with. He also confessed to covering up what he and the militia members had done to Atefeh, by speeding up the verdict of execution. It is reported that during this questioning Judge Rezai still insisted that the verdict and the execution was fully in compliance with the laws of Islam, permitted and sanctioned by the religious authorities.

The execution of Atefeh is controversial because as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iran promised not to execute anyone under the age of 18. According to witnesses Atefah's father had passed her birth certificate to the civil authorities, lawyers involved, journalists and to Judge Rezai.

Amnesty International and other organizations declared her execution to be a crime against humanity and against children of the world. [5]

BBC Undercover – "Execution of a Teenage Girl"
The case of Atefeh Sahaaleh is the subject of a BBC documentary made by Wild Pictures. Director, Monica Garnsey and Associate Producer, Arash Sahami went undercover to document the case. [6] It is also the subject of an hour-long Discovery Times program called "Execution in Iran."

The Making of the Film
Interview with film-maker Monica Garnsey
On November 26 2005, I travelled to Iran to research and film undercover the documentary Execution of a Teenage Girl. The programme tells the story of Atefah Sahaaleh, 16, from northern Iran, hanged in public in August 2004 for having had sex outside marriage, a so-called "crime against chastity".

A number of Iranian journalists and lawyers had strong evidence that the judiciary had broken Iran's own law in executing Atefah. But because of the censorship of the Iranian press, it was extremely difficult for them to get the truth to a wider audience.

My executive producer, Paul Hamann, who is also the chairman of anti-death penalty charity Reprieve, was passionate about the project.

But if we asked the Iranian authorities openly for a visa to investigate such a story, we would have been laughed out of the embassy.

After very careful consideration, we decided we should travel to Iran undercover, posing as tourists.
I'd filmed in Iran this way once before, in 2003, but it's a horrible way of working. From the moment you arrive in the country, you are breaking the law.

Description

Atefeh Rajabi Sahaaleh

Atefeh was a 16 year old schoolgirl from the town of Neka , Iran and was described as a "lively and intelligent girl", whom everyone knew. Like many young girls Atefeh enjoyed shopping for the latest jeans and listening to music on her Ipod. It is reported that Atefeh's mother died in a car accident when she was five and that her father, due to this trauma, later became a drug addict. As a teen, Atefeh was seen wandering free on the streets and was often unaccompanied by a male guardian. She was called "gypsy of Neka" by the locals, as she was considered to not be restrained in her behavior.
Arrest and Trial

On a day Atefeh was due to attend a wedding, she was arrested by the moral police while she was preparing dinner for her grandparents. As she had not committed an offense, a petition was presented declaring her a bad influence. It was not signed. According to Islamic Sharia Law, she was convicted for 'acts incompatible with chastity,' based on her admission, that she repeatedly had sex with 51-year-old ex-revolutionary guard turned taxi-driver Ali Darabi, a married man with children. [1] Over the course of the 'relationship' with Ali Durabi, Atefah stated to the authorities that he had raped her several times. She admitted that she had kept the relationship, which lasted over three years, a secret from both her family and the authorities. Atefeh would have been at least just 13 years old when Ali Durabi first began grooming her for sex. While in prison, Atefah finally told her grandmother what had happened, saying that after Ali Durabi had raped her she could only walk on all fours because of the pain. [3] In court, during her trial the attending Judge was Haji Rezai. It is reported that she told the Judge that Ali Darabi should be punished and not her. As the trial progressed and Atefah realized she was losing her case, it is reported that she removed her hijab , an act seen as a severe contempt of the court. She even removed her shoes and threw them at the judge . [4] Judge Haji Rezai later sentenced her to death.

According to BBC, the documents presented to the Supreme Court of Appeal described her as 22 years old, but her birth and death certificate stated that she was only 16. The issue of her age was not brought to proper attention until it was too late.

Atefah's father was reported to have stated "The Judge just looked at her body, because of her apparent developed physique...and declared her as 22." Pursuant to continual complaints filed by Atefeh's family about her execution and the way the judge was mishandling the case, the Supreme Court of Iran issued an order to free Atefah, it is reported to have been received three weeks too late.
Amnesty International and other organisations claimed that she suffered from psychological illness, both before and at the trial.

Execution
It is alleged that on the day of the execution, Judge Haji Rezai applied the noose himself around Atefeh's neck, before she was hoisted on a crane to her death, where she was left hanging for 45 minutes. It is reported that Judge Haji Rezai stated "this will teach you to disobey", and that he later boasted that he had taught Atefah a lesson for her sharp tongue. Atefeh was publicly hanged from a crane in Neka , Iran, on August 15, 2004. Her father was not notified of her execution. The next day her body was stolen from her grave. It has never been recovered.

After the execution of Atefeh, Iranian media reported that Judge Rezai and several militia members including Captain Zabihi and Captain Molai were arrested by the Intelligence Ministry. Inside sources informed the media that, in addition to Ali Durabi's confession of his rape of Atefeh, Judge Rezai who served as judge, jury and executioner, also confessed to torturing her during interrogations to extract names of others she had relations with. He also confessed to covering up what he and the militia members had done to Atefeh, by speeding up the verdict of execution. It is reported that during this questioning Judge Rezai still insisted that the verdict and the execution was fully in compliance with the laws of Islam, permitted and sanctioned by the religious authorities.

The execution of Atefeh is controversial because as a signatory of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iran promised not to execute anyone under the age of 18. According to witnesses Atefah's father had passed her birth certificate to the civil authorities, lawyers involved, journalists and to Judge Rezai.

Amnesty International and other organizations declared her execution to be a crime against humanity and against children of the world. [5]

BBC Undercover – "Execution of a Teenage Girl"
The case of Atefeh Sahaaleh is the subject of a BBC documentary made by Wild Pictures. Director, Monica Garnsey and Associate Producer, Arash Sahami went undercover to document the case. [6] It is also the subject of an hour-long Discovery Times program called "Execution in Iran."

The Making of the Film
Interview with film-maker Monica Garnsey
On November 26 2005, I travelled to Iran to research and film undercover the documentary Execution of a Teenage Girl. The programme tells the story of Atefah Sahaaleh, 16, from northern Iran, hanged in public in August 2004 for having had sex outside marriage, a so-called "crime against chastity".

A number of Iranian journalists and lawyers had strong evidence that the judiciary had broken Iran's own law in executing Atefah. But because of the censorship of the Iranian press, it was extremely difficult for them to get the truth to a wider audience.

My executive producer, Paul Hamann, who is also the chairman of anti-death penalty charity Reprieve, was passionate about the project.

But if we asked the Iranian authorities openly for a visa to investigate such a story, we would have been laughed out of the embassy.

After very careful consideration, we decided we should travel to Iran undercover, posing as tourists.
I'd filmed in Iran this way once before, in 2003, but it's a horrible way of working. From the moment you arrive in the country, you are breaking the law.