THE ORGANIZATION OF IRANIAN PEOPLE´S FEDAIAN (MAJORITY)

Postfach 260268, 50515 Koeln, Germany

Mrs Louise Arbour,
UN Hight Comissioner for Human Rights
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix,
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.
12.Aug. 2004

Dear Mrs Louise Arbour,

We are writing this letter to you to underscore our serious concerns with respect to recent violence against women in Islamic Republic of Iran.
Official uniformed security forces in addition to organized non-uniformed militia groups have recently started to systematically expand their acts of violence against women and girls under the pretext of being naked and not dressed according to the standards of full cover Islamic HIJAB.
There are widespread reports from Iran about so called unknown personal attacking women and girls who were not following the proper Islamic HIJAb, with knifes and threatening to attach them with disfiguring or deadly acid unless they immediately follow the complete HIJAB rules.
In many cities in Iran adult women in addition to under agar girls wearing Capri pants (pants showing a few inches of ankle but many inches bellow the knees) were flogged on their exposed skin.
In many of the Iranian cities including the Capital, Tehran, with the non-official approval of the city government signs and graffiti on the walls advertise the following information: "Lack of proper HIJAB equals 2 months of arrest, Naked skin equals 74 lashes".
We urge you to use all your influence and power to force the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop using not wearing proper Islamic clothes, HIJAB, or any other excuse as a reason to flog, beat or any other acts of physical and psychological violence against girls and women in Iran.

Women Comission
Organisation of Iranian People´s Fedaian (Majority)