Iran: More information on treatment of women who commit adultery in Iran, specifically with non-Muslim men
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN0710 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: More information on treatment of women who commit adultery in Iran, specifically with non-Muslim men, 1 May 1989, IRN0710, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaf9c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Adultery is considered a Capital Offence in Iran, punishable either by flogging, stoning to death or execution. [ Report on law and human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, (London: Amnesty International, 1980), pp. 104, 107; and Iran: Violations of Human Rights, (Amnesty International, 1987), p. 58.] In the case of flogging, article 187 of the Law of Hodoud and Qesas indicates that for cases of fornication, flogging should not be performed with average force. [ Iran: Violations of Human Rights, p. 59.] For the specific case of fornication (not described as adultery) by a non-Muslim with a Muslim woman, the Law of Hodoud and Qesas, article 99 (b), prescribes the death penalty. [ Ibid, p. 63.] Although the source doesn't state whether one or both partners are liable for execution, some articles referring to other sexual offences indicate whether only one of the persons is to be executed. [ Ibid.]
In the case of members of the Baha'i faith, the only Iranian religious minority whose rights are not recognized by the Iranian Constitution, couples are considered to be living in sin and women are likely to be accused of prostitution. [ The many faces of persecution, (U.S. Committee for Refugees, 1984), p. 5.] Prostitution is a sexual offence which has no punishment other than death under Iranian legislation. [ Report on Law and Human Rights, p. 113.]
The administration of justice in Iran is reported to vary widely in its sentences, with a system that allows arbitrary judgement and little or no possibility of redressing wrongs. [ Iran: Violations of Human Rights, pp. 24-25.]